3. He Isn’t Raised by Nannies While the Trumps have all kinds of hired help, they insist that they take care of Barron themselves (although the claim that they have no nanny seems to be in dispute). At least Melania seems to be a hands-on parent. She cooks him breakfast, takes him to and from […]

Charles Frederick Worth was the visionary behind the House of Worth. But how much about him do you know?

Barron Hilton, who took his father Conrad's empire into the most recognizable brand in hotels has died aged 91.

William Hill, along with David Barron, stole champagne and was charged for the theft and sentenced to 6 months in prison. Age: 28, Height: 5.6 Hair: Light Place of Birth: Newcastle Status: Single Work: Joiner These photographs are of convicted criminals in Newcastle between 1871 - 1873. Reference:TWAS: PR.NC/6/1/1110 (Copyright) We're happy for you to share this digital image within the spirit of The Commons. Please cite 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' when reusing. Certain restrictions on high quality reproductions and commercial use of the original physical version apply though; if you're unsure please email [email protected]. To purchase a hi-res copy please email [email protected] quoting the title and reference number.

Block-printed indigo by Barron & Larcher Mid 1920s London Phyllis Barron and Dorothy Larcher ran a London textile printing workshop in the 1920s and moved the workshop to Gloucestershire in the '30s.. Coco Chanel and other couturiers used their traditional yet updated fabrics in trend-setting clothes. Phyllis Barron (1890-1964) in Vogue, 1926 Enid Marx began hand printing textiles as an assistant in their workshop. See a post on her: http://historicallymodernquilts.blogspot.com/2013/06/modern-print-monday-enid-marx.html See an essay by Meg Andrews on Barron & Larcher. http://www.meg-andrews.com/articles/girton-curtains/ The Victoria and Albert Museum has many of their block-printed textiles. http://www.vads.ac.uk/learning/learndex.php?theme_id=cscu3&theme_record_id=cscu3texdye3&mtri=cscu3texdye&cpic=2001_1_66 With the majority of them in the Crafts Study Centre http://www.csc.ucreative.ac.uk/index.cfm?articleid=19538

Posing as ‘John Barron,’ he claimed he owned most of his father’s real estate empire.

Let's break down the main differences between old money vs new money hierarchy in today's society and decide if it even matters anymore.

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One of America’s first female decorators, Elsie de Wolfe was also prewar Europe’s great party animal. A new book details the life of the famous hostess.

The Astor Double Mansion Overlooking Central Park On a sunny, June day while in Newport Mrs. Caroline Astor offered her friend, architect Richard Morris Hunt, the commission to design and build a new house for her on a property she owned at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue facing Central Park. The lot was unusually large, and since Caroline was getting on in age (she was pushing 80) and did not need that much space, it was decided that the home would really be a double home the corner half for her son, John, and the other half for her. Caroline Was Know Simply as "The Mrs. Astor" Richard Morris Hunt was called the Society Man Hunt spent 3 months searching all over Europe looking for inspiration and finally decided on a early 16th century French Renaissance style chateau for Caroline's new residence. On the outside the mansion would look like one house but on the inside it would really be two divided right down the middle by a parting wall. Mrs. Astor demanded that their be a ballroom, so a large ballroom was added to the rear of the home that would be used by Caroline, although her son and daughter-in-law John and Ava would have access too it (that was the only way it would be big enough), but they preferred to use their inflated drawing room for their parties. The Floor Plan of The Homes Show That They're Exact Mirror Versions of Each Other The beautifully crafted interiors were designed by Jules Allard and were all done in the French mode. The ground floors of both homes were designed for entertaining and all of the rooms are suited for that purpose. The ground floors of both houses contained a large stair hall, small reception room, large drawing room (or salon), a dining room and a pantry, while the ballroom was at the rear. Mrs. Astor's Stair Hall, Where She Tragically Fell Down Its Staircase and Cut Her Head Open The stair halls were at the center of the house and rose up three storeys high. The rest of the rooms on the ground floor were wrapped around it. Access to all of the ground floor rooms was gained from the stair hall. Mrs. Astor's Reception Room, Where She Greeted Arriving Guests John's Reception Room, Where Ava Played Bridge With Mrs. Lehr While Ava was playing bridge in the reception room, John would normally retreat to the drawing room, where he could read in solitude or play the piano. The drawing rooms were the largest of the entertaining rooms (not including the ballroom) and for John and Ava it was used as a ballroom (since the actual one was dominated by Caroline). Mrs. Astor's Drawing Room Held A Collection Of Famous Sevres Vases John's Drawing Room Was Basically a Inflated Reception Room The Dining Rooms were the most detailed and decorated rooms of the house. Both rooms had dark oak paneling and decorative detailed ceilings. Also both dining rooms had several large tapestries and were capable of seating 200 people. Mrs. Astor's Dining Room Housed A Statue of Venus That Was From Her Original House John's Dining Room Housed a Picture Of The First John Astor Over The Fireplace At the rear of the mansion was the ballroom. The ballroom, which also doubled as the art or picture gallery, was the largest room in the house and was furnished according to Mrs. Astor with furniture used from the old house, John thought it was old fashioned and would have rather furnished it otherwise. Mrs. Astor's Ballroom Could Hold 1,200 People After the mansion was completed Mrs. Astor continued to entertain as lavishly as she always had, opening the house with her annual Patriarch's Ball. By the 1900's, though, Mrs. Astor was more of a shadow queen and although Caroline still held pride of place, society was mainly ruled by other such as Alva Belmont, Mamie Fish and Tessie Oelrichs. Mrs. Astor gave her last ball, her annual Opera Ball the start of the season, in 1904 and in 1907 gave her last dinner party. Shortly after that, one morning, Mrs. Astor fell down her beautiful staircase and tumbled to the floor. Servants heard a loud thud and a great moan and rushed to find her laying flat across the floor, her halo of white hair soaked in a pool of bright, red blood. A hastily examining doctor discovered numerous deep cuts and gashes on her head; having refused to go to the hospital, Mrs. Astor bravely sat in a chair in the drawing room, tightly clutching the arms while the doctor stitched up her wounds. Although she recovered, Caroline was never mentally the same again and forever the large door of her marble palace were closed. Mrs. Astor's sharpness faded and her brain deteriorated, her doctors ordered her not to entertain anymore. Servants would Mrs. Astor wandering through her large palace greeting guests that weren't really there and hosting dinners and parties that didn't exist. The large staff of 26 people that ran her palace was cut to a skeleton crew of 6 which consisted of The cook, Hade the butler who had been with Mrs. Astor since 1876, Miss Simrock the housekeeper and three maids. Also attending to Mrs. Astor was her doctor and three nurses. Finally Mrs. Astor died in 1908, she left her side of the house to John along with her famous jewels. Most of her money went to her two remaining daughters some $1 million. John Was Considered A Playboy Promptly after Caroline's death, John and Ava divorced. Ava claimed parental custody of their daughter, Alice, along with a $3.5 million settlement, while John would have custody of their son, Vincent, and would retain all of their properties. Ava promptly moved to England and married Lord Ribblesdale. John also remarried, this time again to another great beauty, and society was shocked at who he picked. John, age 47, married Madeleine Force, age 18. Madeleine was considered by most to be an extreme beauty, her swan-like neck, silk-like brown hair, attractive face and perfect figure, and to top it all off was basically the opposite of Ava. John had met her at Bar Harbor and was immediately smitten with her and they were married shortly after in the ballroom at "Beechwood" the Astor's cottage in Newport. "Beechwood", The Scene of John And Madeleine's Wedding Meanwhile, in New York City, John was having the architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings convert the double mansion into one giant residence for him and Madeleine. The total cost of the renovations was said to be $3 million. This would be accomplished by removing the parting wall and replacing the double staircases with a large bronze-domed great hall and creating a smaller, less conspicuous staircase toward the back of the house. Later on, John decided to put a marble fountain in the middle. The Great Hall The Fountain That Was Latter Added Also John replaced what had been his mother's dining room with his dining room, which was an exact copy of the one he had before. Where his dining room had been he turned into his library, which he had removed from the third floor and redone. The Library, After John Had it Redone Perhaps because it was so elegant, John left the ballroom, although by then the art collection had become old fashioned. Though John left the ballroom he didn't leave the furniture and he gutted the room of all the old furniture Caroline had brought over with her from 34th Street. He replaced the old fashioned furniture with red velvet armchairs, sofas and benches. The Ballroom Now Sat Empty And Never Used Another View Of The New Ballroom Published In A Newspaper Meanwhile In Europe John and Madeleine were on their honeymoon, although they had to cut it short on account of Madeleine's pregnancy. While in Europe John had lavish on Madeleine with expensive gifts and jewels which made her look stunning (not to mention she had Caroline's jewels back at home all at her disposal). John booked a large suite of rooms on the brand new ship "Titanic" for him and Madeleine's return home. The Titanic Would Be Sailing On It's Maiden Voyage The Suite John Booked Contained a Sitting Room, 2 Bedrooms And A Bathroom Sadly, though, the "Titanic" sank while on it's way to America. Madeleine survived, as did her maid and nurse, but John and his valet perished. Madeleine went into deep morning, visiting his grave daily, from which she emerged in 1915. According to the terms of John's will, Madeleine received $2 million outright and a $5 million trust fund. Madeleine also received the Fifth Avenue mansion and "Beechwood" cottage, all to be given up if she remarry. Madeleine In Deep Morning Since Madeleine did remarry (two more times to be exact) the property went to Vincent, John's son. Vincent and his wife Helen were at first content to give an annual ball every year in the mansion in honor of Caroline. Vincent and His First Wife Helen But by the time Vincent's third wife, Brooke, moved in Vincent no longer wanted the immense expense of maintaining a large New York City residence and he moved to a smaller residence, so the great house was boarded up and sat empty. As a tribute to his father, Vincent had John's bedroom and bathroom reinstalled in his new townhouse. By The Time Vincent Had Moved Out The Astor Mansion Had Already Become A Symbol Of A Bygone Age By 1925, Vincent had already sold "Beechwood" cottage and "Ferncliff" the Astor estate on the Hudson and now it was time for the Fifth Avenue palace to go too, which had been sitting empty for almost 1 year. It was sold and demolished to make way for the Temple Emanu-El, which occupies the spot today.

When millionaire art collector Henry Osborne Havemeyer died, he left not only a spectacular fortune of almost $30 million to his wife, Louisine Elder Havemeyer, but also a sumptuous, art-filled mansion, facing the Central Park. Louisine also inherited the nearby stables, which they had shared with Col. Payne and their Long Island estate. Mrs. Havemeyer Was Instantly Turned Into One Of The City's Wealthiest Women Upon The Death Of Her Husband Mrs. Havemeyer's Imposing New York City Mansion Was Filled With Her And Her Husband's Large Art Collection The Stables That Were Shared With Col. Payne Were Quickly Turned Into Garages To House Mrs. Havemeyer's Fleet Of Rolls Royce The Havemeyer mansion sat on one of the most valuable plots of land in the city. The area surrounding the mansion soon became occupied by large, imposing townhouses, designed in all sorts of styles and periods. Next door the dingy brownstone that had occupied the lot made way for the grand residence of Mrs. Parsons. Mrs. Parsons's Marble Residence Was Surprisingly Modern Compared To The Other Townhouses That Surrounded It Next to Mrs. Parsons the residence of R. Livingston Beeckman had risen and on the other side of the Havemeyer mansion, down the avenue, had risen the palace of Mrs. Astor and her son John, along with the residence of William Watts Sherman. Soon The Avenues Surrounding Mrs. Havemeyer Were Filled Fine Townhouses And Grand Mansions, Occupied By The City's Wealthiest People Mrs. Havemeyer continued to use her husband's fortune to support several of the causes her husband had supported, such as the Republican Party and Trinity Church, and would regularly give away around $1 million a year. The interiors of her New York City mansion would regularly be host to numerous fundraisers and charity balls, sometimes raising up to $80,000 in one night. The Drawing Room Of The Havemeyer Mansion Was Often Used To Hold Fundraisers And Charity Dinners While Mrs. Havemeyer was busy raising money and hosting fundraisers, the world around her and her house was changing. By the 1920's The great mansions that had lined the avenue surrounding the Havemeyer mansion were now being replaced with massive skyscrapers and tower-like apartment buildings. When The Massive Apartment Tower Rose Across The Street From Mrs. Havemeyer, The Surrounding Residents Got Their First Taste Of Commercial Invasion With rising taxes putting an end to many of New York City's great homes, Mrs. Havemeyer and a few others stayed on. Thanks to Mr. Havemeyer's fortune, Mrs. Havemeyer was able to still afford her New York City home and live in the same kind of luxury she always had lived. The Beeckman Mansion (Now Occupied By Mrs. Henry White), Parsons Mansion And The Havemeyer Mansion Were The Only One Left On Their Block Skyscrapers Were Starting To Replace The Grand Townhouse Along Fifth Avenue And Many New Yorkers Traded Their Townhouses For Apartments When Mrs. Havemeyer died in 1927, The New Yorkers who were still clinging to their townhouses knew exactly what would happen to the Havemeyer Mansion. Apparently Mrs. Havemeyer knew too, because in her will she had the house scrapped of all of it's decorative features and donated them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She left an estate of $9 million, small compared to the fortune she had been left by her husband, but she had given many gifts in her lifetime and had still continued to donate and spend around $1 million a year, even with taxes on her mansion rising to $100,000 a year. She left $1 million to her children and another million to various charities. She donated most of the mansion's furniture to museums and the art collection went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Havemeyer Mansion Was Quickly Torn Down, Along With The Parsons Mansion And Replaced With Another Vulgar Skyscraper The Only One That Remains Is The Former R. Livingston Beeckman Mansion, Now The Mission of Serbia

Some of NYC's buildings were surprisingly short-lived, starting at just two years old including Grand Central Station, the Folk Art Museum Crystal Palace

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Easton Press, 1992. Like New. Collector's Edition. Unread, tight, and straight with good corners, solid hinges, and clean boards. Textblock is clean with no writing, bookplate, embossed seal, or marks. Bound in leather with 22 kt embellishments, gilded page edges, and sewn-in satin bookmark. Page-edge gilt has a few faint tiny scratches on side fore-edges, else Fine. The Masterpieces of Science Fiction Collector's Notes laid in. Introduction by James Blaylock and illustrated by Frank Kelly Freas. With over a hundred million viewers, Jack Barron is a media star of the highest celebrity—think Jerry Springer crossed with Ted Koppel—and his call-in talk show is the perfect platform for reform. But every man has his price, and when a cryogenics millionaire makes Jack an offer he can't refuse—immortality—anything can happen. Bug Jack Barron, Norman Spinrad’s fourth novel, was first published in 1969, and is commonly acknowledged to be the book that established Spinrad’s brilliant style and made his name. Its exploration of the timeless and universally relevant theme of big business corrupting the democratic process, stands out now as an unforgettable and bitingly satirical work of imagination that remains as relevant as ever to today’s television and media-obsessed culture. CHECK OUT OUR OTHER LISTINGS AT https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArmadilloAlleyBooks

As their dad, Donald Trump, takes office, Us opens the (gilded) door to the privileged reality of Tiffany, Ivanka and the other first kids

Now that traditional representational painting is seeing something of a revival in art galleries, there is a lot of interest among painters in the techniques employed by masters of the oil painting medium. All of

Potted palms wave below the fanciful minaret in this 1893 print. -- author's collection When the German-born John Jacob Decker left his job with the Bradbury piano manufacturing company in 1856, he and his brother invested their life savings of $4,000 to set up a new firm. Before long Decker Brothers’ square pianos were ranked among the best in the industry. By the end of the Civil War, the firm’s business was such that they required a building of their own and in 1869 commissioned Leopold Eidlitz to design an elaborate building on Union Square. Here the fashionable residential area was just beginning to give way to commercial interests. Sitting among the brownstone residences, Eidlitz’s four-story building stood in stark contrast. Its multi-colored façade with Venetian arcades and fanciful Victorian Gothic detailing was, at the very least, nonconformist. Pianos at the time were highly popular parlor fixtures. Well-bred young girls were necessarily schooled in piano and after-dinner recitals were de rigueur. Every household that could afford a piano had one; and the absence of the instrument mutely spoke of the family’s financial condition. Years later in 1919 Music Trades magazine would remember that Decker Brothers “was always included in the first five or six manufacturers of pianos of distinction.” That reputation and success necessitated a larger building and in 1892 the brothers hired the architectural firm of Alfred Zucker to design a new headquarters. Colorful and controversial John Edelmann was given the project. Edelmann was an outspoken anarchist whose radical viewpoint resulted in his expulsion from the Socialist Labor Party. He was not only a friend, but a mentor to the fledgling Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. Working with a narrow plot–the 30-foot width of the brownstone house the Deckers razed for their first building–Edelmann’s design outdid the Venetian fantasy he replaced. Completed in 1893, it was an amalgamation of Venetian and Moorish elements with balconies, exuberant terra cotta panels of Islamic motifs, cast iron filigree and, topping it all, a domed minaret. A year after its completion J. S. Johnson captured the Decker Building, clearly dwarfing its neighbors, on film. -- nypl collection Decker Brothers occupied the first two floors with their great expanses of glass for their “piano rooms.” Alfred Zucker moved his offices into the top level and the intermediate floors were leased out. The building rose 11 floors, making it the tallest building on the Square. Frank Leslie’s Popular Monthly was quick to review the new building. “The most beautiful of recent high and narrow structures, and representing in its latest development terra-cotta walls and skeleton construction, is the Decker Building, on Union Square,” it said in its July 1893 issue. “It has the advantage of facing a broad public square, which few of the high structures of Perpendicular New York have, and excites unusual attention because of its appearance and its height.” Pitman’s Journal of Commercial Education, whose offices moved into the building shortly after its completion, chimed in. “The Decker Building is furnished throughout with every modern invention for saving time and trouble.” The article described the latest and best elevators, including a freight elevator “for raising supplies of every description” and a “mail shoot” that made possible dispatching letters without leaving one’s office. The essence of modernity, “the building is lighted by the electric light.” Union Square was the epicenter, by now, of fashionable commerce. The year the Decker Building opened, a special correspondent from The Daily Chronicle compared it to London’s Trafalgar Square saying “Imagine a large square with buildings of all shape and sizes, from a squat three-story old-fashioned house to a slender pile which towers up thirteen stories into mid air–offices, shops, hotels, restaurants, theatre, all round; the whole having a much more continental than English aspect reminding you now of Brussels and then of Munich, with elements distinctively American.” George W. Shiebler & Co., silversmiths took over the third floor, which The Jewelers’ Circular and Horological Review called “one of the most perfect business lofts to be found in that section of the metropolis.” The sales room was fitted out in mahogany, in the rear were offices and counting rooms and a “hotel room” for visiting wholesale buyers. Behind these were the packing and polishing departments. Not everyone was thrilled with Edelmann’s ebullient façade. In the April 1894 issue of The Engineering Magazine, Barr Ferree called it “a building afflicted with the smallpox.” The critic felt that eleven stories were quite enough, “a fact which must be obvious to everyone save the maker of the design, who has stretched it out at the top by means of an absurd tower that is rendered more absurd by the hipped roof pinned on on either side of it.” Ferree went on to insult Edelmann personally, saying his design “succeeds only in telling how little the man who made it knew what he was about. This is not unimportant in itself, but it is a pity the information had to be given in so permanent and visible a form” He summed up his review saying, “The raising of the other buildings will not improve it, though it will lessen its aggressiveness. Fortunately the cable cars go pretty fast here.” Ferree’s scathing opinion of the Decker Building was in the minority and Edelmann’s elaborate façade was highly praised; even the sometimes irascible Real Estate Record and Guide called it “highly artistic.” Other early tenants included The Globe Review, a quarterly review of “literature, society, religion, art and politics”–in short everything. In 1894 the National School of Electricity established its headquarters here and in 1897 theatrical manager Joseph Arthur had his offices in the building. In 1902 the advertising agency George Ethridge Co. started business in one room on the 7th Floor. Business boomed and two years later the firm took nearly the entire ninth floor. The Women’s Municipal League set up its headquarters here in 1903 and architect Arnold W. Brunner moved in a year later. A threat came to the Decker Building in 1902 when ground was broken for the foundation for architect Bruce Price’s Bank of the Metropolis. The deep foundation necessary to uphold the new bank building meant that the Decker foundations would be undermined. If remedial actions were not taken, the Decker Building could face collapse. photo by Alice Lum The entire south wall–weighing 76,000 pounds per foot–was lifted 1/8 of an inch and placed on double tiers of massive steel beams. The shallow foundations were then blasted out and deeper ones were build on the bedrock. It was, at the turn of the century, an engineering marvel. Renowned artist Isabel Bishop had her studio on the fourth floor beginning in 1934. She remained here until 1978, painting and drawing inspiration from the much-changed Union Square below. More notable than Bishop, however, was Andy Warhol who moved his studio, called the “Factory,” to the sixth floor in 1968. It was here on June 3 that same year that playwright Valerie Solanas waited patiently for Warhol and art critic Mario Amaya to return. When they did, Solanas shot them both, hitting Warhol three times. Solanas, who felt Warhol was attempting to wrest a screenplay from her, surrendered to police shortly after. She was sentenced to three years in prison. Warhol remained in the Decker Building until 1974. By the time the Windsor Construction company purchased the building through foreclosure in 1994 it had been sorely abused. The elaborate storefront had been obliterated, the fanciful minaret had long ago disappeared and the balconies had been stripped away. Joseph Pell Lombardi's restoration replaced the missing balconies -- photo by Alice Lum While they planned a conversion to residential use, the firm commissioned well-known preservation architect Joseph Pell Lombardi to restore the façade. Lombardi replicated the first floor where Decker’s pianos were once proudly on display and reconstructed the missing balconies and other details. photo by Alice Lum Although it was part of restoration discussions, the minaret did not make the final plans. The only Edelmannn structure to survive in New York City, the Decker Building now has commercial space on the first floor and 18 residential units above. It stands as a remarkable example of fanciful Victorian architecture, a true gem on Union Square.

When William Henry Vanderbilt, the richest man in the world at the time, died, he left the most of his $200 million estate divided equally between his 2 eldest sons, Cornelius "Corneil" and William "Willie". Cornelius was older than William so Alice, Cornelius's wife, assumed that Cornelius was head of the Vanderbilt family, plus Cornelius had also been given an extra $2 million plus the portrait and marble bust of Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt, objects that had always been given to the head of the family. Willie was perfectly fine with letting Cornelius be head of the family, but Willie's wife, Alva, was not okay with letting them rule the family and launched a campaign to make her husband and their children the leaders of the Vanderbilt clan. Alice also launched on a campaign, to put Alva firmly in her place, and Alice had just the plan to win. Corneil Was Considered A Saint, Giving Most Of His Not-Needed Income To Charities. Alice Was Beautiful, Pious And Rich, Spoiled By Her Constantly Dotting Husband, She Was Accustomed To Getting What She Wanted. Corneil and Alice had met while teaching Sunday school at St. Bartholomew's Church, also known as "The Vanderbilt Powerhouse" because all the Vanderbilts attended and gave very generously to it, and had quickly married. Alice had been born to a prominent lawyer who left her a small fortune on his early death. Corneil had been born to William Henry and was the favorite grandson of the Commodore, who left him some $5 million on his death when Corneil's brothers got only $2 million. Upon their marriage Alice and Corneil quickly settled into a large brownstone, near Mrs. Astor at 34th Street. With fashion flowing north, Corneil moved his family to a large mansion, near the Central Park, next door to Mary Mason Jones's "Marble Row". Corneil And Alice's First New York City Townhouse Ca. 1882 Corneil and Alice were content to live in their large townhouse with their family. Besides New York the couple resided in a large cottage in Newport, which they had bought and renovated. Their cottage which was called the "Breakers" contained the largest dining room in Newport. "Breakers" The Newport Cottage Of Corneil And Alice When William Henry died he had left almost $130 million divided equally between Corneil and Willie, which made it unclear who was the head. With Corneil's fortune to back her up, Alice decided to show Alva who was in charge and commissioned massive alterations to their New York City townhouse. The Vanderbilts bought the entire row of houses behind them and brought in George B. Post and Richard Morris Hunt to build them a palace that would occupy the entire block. When it was completed , the chateau would be the largest home ever built in New York City, with 137 rooms, 37 bedrooms, 16 baths, a library, numerous salons, a baronial dining room, smoking room and a magnificent ballroom. The New Vanderbilt Mansion Exemplified Power And Wealth, Just What Alice Was Hoping For The Vanderbilt's Kept Their Original Entrance And Used The Porte Cochered Entrance For Formal Events The Formal Entrance Was very Elegant And Featured Carvings By Karl Bitter Hunt and Post had carefully crafted the interiors, which were designed for large scale entertaining, to create a breath of luxury. The floor plan is designed where the huge ballroom can be expanded to create an even large room for dancing. The inclusion of two salons showed how much the Vanderbilts admired European architecture, although surprisingly unlike many aristocrats and millionaires, there was no room designated specifically for art work, but, like Mrs. Astor, they chose to have a room that would have two purposes, that room was the dining room. First (Top) Second (Middle) And Third (bottom) Floor Plans The magnificently crafted interiors were to be used by the finest people in the world, so they had to be not just luxurious, they had to be fantastic. The ground floor held the entertaining rooms. The ballroom, salons, drawing room, dining room, office, water color room, breakfast room and the pantries were all on the ground floor. The Terrace And Steps Leading To The Water Color Room Were Done In Beautiful Caen Stone The Fabulous Entrance The The Water Color Room The Wonderful Water Color Room Held A Portrait Of Alice A Corner Of The Wonderful Water Color Room The Magnificent Caen Stoned Great Hall Reaching Up To The Top Of The House The Beautifully Crafted, Caen Stone Staircase Had Been Built In Italy And Had Been Especially Imported For The Vanderbilts The Fantastic Dining Room Also Doubled As An Art Gallery On The Mantlepiece Of The Dining Room Was A Family Portrait The Moorish Smoking Room Featured A Detailed Chandelier The Grand Salon Was Mrs. Vanderbilt's Favorite Room In The Entire House The Petit Salon's Fireplace Had A Picture Of Gertrude Vanderbilt The Ballroom Had Walls That Could Be Expanded To Create An Even Larger Space Shortly after work had been completed on the New York City palace, the Vanderbilt's commissioned Richard Morris Hunt to design them a new residence in Newport which they named again "Breakers". The original residence the Vanderbilts had bought had burned down in a fire, so the new one would need to be fireproof. When it was completed, "Breakers" became the largest residence in Newport. The New "Breakers" Instantly Became A Newport Tourist Attraction The Vanderbilts lived formally in their castles and entertained lavishly. Although Alva gave better parties, Alice was considered the more respected matron. But none of this lasted long because one thing shattered the Vanderbilt's perfect life, and her name was Grace Wilson. Grace Wilson Of The Marrying Wilsons Of the Vanderbilts 6 children, Cornelius "Neily" had been the least rebellious. That all changed when he soon began courting Grace Wilson, against Alice and Corneil's wishes. The problem was that not only was Grace 8 years older than Neily, but she had also been previously involved with the Vanderbilt's oldest son, William, who had died of typhoid shortly after graduating college. Grace did not meet the Vanderbilt's high expectations and she was generally snubbed by members of the Vanderbilt clan, although Willie K. did not seem to have a problem with her. Despite his family's dislike for her, Neily married Grace at her family's house, in a simple ceremony. Not a member of the Vanderbilt family was in attendance, although Willie sent his congratulations. Shortly after Neily's marriage to Grace, Cornelius suffered from a stroke, after which he could barely speak and was paralyzed from the legs down. The gates of the Vanderbilt mansions immediately and forever closed and only friends and family were allowed in. Corneil was forever prisoned in a wheelchair and he rarely left the New York City chateau or the "Breakers" villa. He refused to see Neily or Grace, who wanted to restore their connection with the Vanderbilt family because they needed money badly, and promptly tore up the letters they sent him. Alice did the same and she was constantly at the side of her bedridden husband. When the Vanderbilts were in New York City, the roads surrounding their chateau were shut down and traffic was routed around it. When in Newport, the Vanderbilts had the roads surrounding their house covered with special pads to keep the noise down. That all changed in 1899. Corneil Sat Up And Shouted For Alice, When She Arrived He Cried "I Think I Am Expiring" And Leaned Over And Died When Corneil died, he left an estate estimated at $75 million (it would have been considerably more had he not given most of his income to charity) of which his will told everyone how it would be divided. First, he left Alice $1 million outright and the use of a $7 million trust fund which produced an annual income of $250,000, Alice also was given The New York City palace and the "Breakers" villa. Son Reginald, daughter Gertrude and daughter Gladys each were given $4 million outright and a $4 million trust. Alfred, the Vanderbilt's second eldest son behind Neily, was named head of the family and was given $45 million. Neily was given $500,000 outright and a $1 million trust. Alfred Vanderbilt Was Called The Handsome Vanderbilt Alice immediately went into deep mourning, from which she never fully recovered. The income from the trust Corneil had left her allowed her to live comfortably in her two massive homes and she regularly gave large sums of money to her relatives and friends. No more social functions were ever held in her homes, except for the wedding of Gladys. When Alfred sank on the "Lusitania", Alice spent thousands of dollars trying to find his body, although it was never found and his funeral was held in the New York city mansion. When her favorite child, Reginald, literally drank himself to death in newport, his funeral was also held in the New York City mansion. By 1910, Alice had finally accepted Neily and Grace and started giving them money (if it weren't for her money they would have been broke). Once When Dining With Reggie's Wife Gloria, Alice Noticed Gloria Didn't Have Any Pearls, Alice Calmly Summoned A Footman And Told Him To Bring Some Scissors, When They Arrived Alice Cut Part Of Her Pearl Necklace Off And Handed It To Gloria Saying "There You Are Gloria, All Vanderbilt Women Have Pearls" Meanwhile, in New York City, commercial development had caught up with the Fifth Avenue mansions and owners were quickly selling their Fifth Avenue palaces to developers, who were replacing the beautiful mansions with huge skyscrapers. Behind Alice a large skyscraper had replaced the former home of her daughter, Gertude, and completely towered over Alice's home. Commercial Development Was Destroying The Beautiful Townhouses That Had Once Lined Fifth Avenue The Beautiful Vanderbilt Mansion, Dwarfed By Commercial Invasion By 1920 with taxes rising on the vanderbilt mansion, up to $130,000 a year, and taxes on the "Breakers" rising up to $83,000, Alice realized she could not afford her homes anymore. Every since the day of Corneil's death, Alice, the reigning Mrs. Vanderbilt, had worn nothing but black and pearls, living in the past, spending her days alone with her numerous servants at her fortress in New York City and "Breakers" villa, visited by only her family, never seen in the public eye. Alice decided to economize, when she was in the New York City mansion, she would only open the drawing room, office, breakfast room, pantry and her suite of rooms on the second floor. When in the Newport house, Alice only opened the library, office, reception room, breakfast room, pantry and her and Corneil's suite of rooms upstairs. Alice, Gertrude And Gladys In The Library At The "Breakers" Although this worked for a little while, By 1923 Alice was forced to put the New york City mansion on the market. Alice knew that no one would buy her home to use it as a residence, it was one of the most valuable parcels of land in the city. Holding no illusions to the survival of her house, Alice decided to remove whatever could be removed from the house and either donate it or sell it. Alice donated the massive entrance gates to the Central Park and gave a large fireplace that had been in the great hall to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with several carvings by Karl Bitter that had been on the porte cochere. The Fireplace Alice Donated And The Billiard Room Ceiling Panels That were Bought By Loew The mansion was bought by the Bergdorf Goodman, for $7 million, who stripped the home and sold off it's contents. The entire Moorish smoking room was bought by a theatre magnate Marcus Loew, who planned on putting it in his new theatre. Loew also purchased the entire petit salon and put it in the same theatre as the Moorish room. Also paneling from the upstairs billiard was removed and sold as well as the paintings in the ballroom. The Vanderbilt mansion was torn down and replaced with the Bergdorf Goodman Department Store. The Bergdorf Goodman Department Store Replaced The Vanderbilt Chateau Alice Bought The Former Gould Mansion For $800,000 And Quietly Moved In. The Home Contained A Ballroom, Drawing Room, Dining Room and Reception Room, All Of Which Would Never Be Used When Alice died, she left a total estate of $15 million, which interestingly contained $10 million in cash. She gave Gladys the "Breakers" and her new New York City townhouse as well as trust of about $5 million. Gladys was also the recipient of Alice's famous pearls. Neily had been given The Gwynne Building in Cincinnati and almost $1 million. Gertrude was given the remainder of the $7 million trust fund Corneil had left Alice, which totaled to some $3 million. A trust of $1.5 million was left to Reggie's two daughter, Cathleen and Gloria. Other bequests were made to relatives, servants and charities. Alice was buried in the Vanderbilt Mausoleum.

' Villa Aurora ', the George Davis Barron estate designed by Freeman & Hasselman c. 1900 in Rye, New York . Barron, a mining engineer,...

An extraordinary set of photographs finally give insight into Clark's childhood, early adulthood and lavish homes, charting her journey from Paris, where she was born in 1906, to Manhattan, where she attended school and later died.