Her greatgrandfather was the shipping and railroad tycoon commodore vanderbilt. In november 2010, vanderbilt was the subject of a new book chronicling her life, titled the world of gloria vanderbilt, written by wendy goodman, new york magazines design editor. Lone and level sands 1951 a personal narrative of allied aerial operations during world war ii high peaks 1977 autobiography. In 1930, new yorks metropolitan museum of art spurned her donation causing her to found the whitney museum of american art one year later. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney new netherland institute. The agent on the other end of the line wanted to confirm that bryan was the owner of six maxfield parrish murals that had originally been painted in the early 20th century for gertrude vanderbilt whitney. Aztec fountain pan american union building, washington, d. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney who is said to have had a lesbian relationship of her own, who admits to being a closet bohemian and who, after. Sculpture by gertrude vanderbilt whitney, paintings by hovsep pushman and a group of new york artists, water colors and woodblock prints in color by gallery, university of rochester memori on. War panel for the victory arch by gertrude vanderbilt whitney 1921. New york art patron and sculptor, gertrude vanderbilt whitney 18751942, was the eldest daughter of cornelius vanderbilt ii and alice gwynne vanderbilt, and. On an otherwise unremarkable july day in 2002, texas businessman and art collector j. She began keeping diaries as a child, and maintained the habit into her adulthood.
For the purposes of biography, the life of gertrude vanderbilt whitney would seem to offer everything. Gloria laura vanderbilt was only 10 when she became an unwilling tabloid sensation. Find gertrude vanderbilt whitney by friedman, b h at biblio. Whitney museum of american art, gertrude vanderbilt. Gloria and how she got that way the washington post. She kept over a million pages of diaries and correspondence. Gloria vanderbilt her aunt gertrude vanderbilt whitney sit on top of a. Out stepped gertrude vanderbilt whitney, thin and unsmiling.
Published september 1st 1978 by doubleday books first published 1978. Art studios where whitney museum was born will admit visitors the studio, formerly a hayloft, created for gertrude vanderbilt whitney in the late. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney was born in new york city. Gertrude whitney, the great grand daughter of the shipping and railroad tycoon cornelius vanderbilt, married harry payne whitney, and the family fortunes each of them had inherited allowed them to help found the whitney museum of american art in new york city, and as a result the museum was named after the whitney family name. The crowninshieldstevensbrinley vanderbilt whitney copy of the bay psalm book. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney american sculptor britannica. A finding aid to the gertrude vanderbilt whitney papers, 18511975. Why the custody battle for young gloria vanderbilt riveted. Childhood and youth, conner, gertrude vanderbilt whitney marriage, conner, gertrude vanderbilt whitney divorce, conner, gertrude vanderbilt whitney, women painters united states biography, divorce, marriage, women.
Born in 1875 into the wealthiest family in america, gertrude vanderbilt married harry payne whitney 18721930, ace polo player, winning. The historic family mansion in watertown, known as the elms, was built for the whitneys in 1710. Once sued to gain custody of gloria vanderbilt from the tenyearold girls mother, who was allegedly involved in a lesbian relationship. The whitney family is an american family notable for their business enterprises, social prominence, wealth and philanthropy, founded by john whitney 15921673, who came from london, england to watertown, massachusetts in 1635. A whitney who shuns glamour for a life of quiet satisfaction. These families has always intrigued me, both the whitney and vanderbilt families, especially after visiting the vanderbilt mansion biltmore in north carolina. Art studios where whitney museum was born will admit visitors. This subseries consists of gertrude vanderbilt whitney s journals of a more personal nature. It was gertrude who won custody of then 10yearold gloria in the end. The bulk of the papers have been scanned, and total 49,453 images. Gertrude, a vanderbilt heir and the great aunt of gloria vanderbilt, of whom she was awarded custody by the court, was the founder of the whitney art museum. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney, in a costume by leon bakst.
Tour gertrude vanderbilt whitneys art studio on long island the cut. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney conner is a highly successful volunteer worker in the arts, a moderately successful painter and an, as yet, unpublished author. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Description maxfield parrish american 1870 1966 the gertrude vanderbilt whitney murals, four murals offered in two lots, east wall reception room a and east wall reception room b, 1914 oil on canvas 6334 x 7414 inches each. Gertrude vanderbilt whitneys numerous works in the united states include. They dont make rich folks like they used to observer. Sculpture by gertrude vanderbilt whitney, paintings by. It was 1934, and she was the subject of a nasty custody battle between her widowed mother and her aunt, gertrude vanderbilt whitney.
Nonetheless, here it is, fished out of her posthumous papers, and offered as a revealing autobiographical tale. Personal journals range from ones she kept as a child and adolescent to ones she kept during her engagement and honeymoon to ones she kept as an adult, and include travel journals, impression books, diaries, confessions album, writing journals, and a line a day books. Sculpture is the catalogue for an exhibition presented at the norton museum of art, west palm beach, florida, january 25april 29, 2018. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney 18751942 merits a biography for several reasons. Unsaid, as well as the corresponding book, the rainbow comes and goes. Any citation of this collection must include the following title designated by the donor. Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney 18751942 was a sculptor, art patron, writer, and the founder of the whitney museum of art. Gertrude vanderbilt whitneys heirs are back on board the. Artist and artpatron gertrude vanderbilt whitney 18751942 had the good tastein both senses of the phrasenot to publish this amateurish novel during her lifetime. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney january 9, 1875 april 18, 1942 was an american sculptor, art.
First, she belonged by birth and marriage to two of americas wealthiest and most prominent families in an era that saw extravagant luxury reach its apex and decline. Here i present the two i am most obsessed with, gloria vanderbilt, and her aunt gertrude vanderbilt whitney. Sculpture is the catalogue for an exhibition presented at the. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney nearly ran away with my book about her niece, little gloria.
January 26 to february 28, 1943 classic reprint art, whitney museum of american on. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney papers, 18511975, bulk 18881942 this site provides access to the papers of gertrude vanderbilt whitney in the archives of american art that were digitized in 2014. If you enjoy reading about the rich barons that helped create the railroad systems, this book is for you. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney, american sculptor and art patron, founder of the whitney museum of american art in new york city. In the book, gloria recalls seeing a copy of the daily news front page shouting poor little rich girl over her picture. Daughter of a dynasty the trials and lost innocence of.
Interesting, though, that lesbianism and bisexuality were very much a part of the family outside of gloria. Gertrude vanderbilt whitneys restored studio opens for. Gertrude vanderbilt whitneys juilly hospital journals. Whitney, one of the most sensational american custody trials in the 20th century. The book, published by abrams books, featured many previously unreleased photographs. Dressed in a fox fur, hat, and gloves, the 59yearold founder of the whitney museum, accompanied by her lawyer frank crocker, headed silently up the 32 steps leading to the corinthiancolumned supreme court of the state of new york. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney passed away on april 18, 1942 after a long illness. Gertrude whitney, aka auntie ger, seems just as interested in keeping vanderbilt money in the vanderbilt family as she is in caring for the child. Gertrude vanderbilt was a greatgranddaughter of commodore cornelius vanderbilt, founder of one of americas great fortunes. The first hearing was held in front of hundreds of journalists, for judge john f. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney thus, the infamous vanderbilt vs. Two reliefs on the victory arch madison square, new york city.
Gloria vanderbilt and son anderson cooper leave nothing. It isnt that she didnt want little this book was a fascinating if overlong retelling of the custody case i only knew the barest bones of. As a child, she spent her summers at the breakers, the familys summer estate in newport, rhode island, and kept up with her. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney became an artist in spite of her birthright. In 1934, the heiress mother fought her aunt for custody in a very public trial. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney whitney museum of american art.
Gertrude vanderbilt whitney, founder of the whitney museum, commissioned this portrait in 1916 from robert henri, leader of the urban realist painters who had. Media in category sculptures by gertrude vanderbilt whitney the following 30 files are in this category, out of 30 total. While the vanderbilt men are infinitely fascinating and iconic, i cant help but to also be strongly drawn to the vanderbilt women. Carew, who in hindsight probably shouldnt have, surprisingly let all the press inside his courtroom. Gloria morgan vanderbilt born maria mercedes morgan. Sculpture by gertrude vanderbilt whitney, paintings by hovsep pushman and a group of new york artists. Whitney s old westbury home sells, and more a 20,000squarefoot georgianstyle mansion in old westbury once occupied by gertrude vanderbilt whitney, founder of the whitney museum of. After harry died in 1930, gertrude a talented and wellknown sculptress in her own right spent increasingly more time down at the manse, their estate in long island. Gertrude vanderbilt whitney papers, 18511975, bulk 18881942. Gertrude vanderbilt and harry payne whitney were married a few weeks after cornelius and graces wedding in august of 1896 but with a big difference, her parents approved of the match. When gertrude vanderbilt whitney set up her sculpture studio in greenwich villages macdougal alley, one 1907 newspaper headline blared. Whitney the matter of vanderbilt trial was set in motion and on october 1, 1934.
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