Vanderbilt Residences in Artistic Houses vol 1. pt. Smithsonian Libraries
Artistic houses vol. 1; pt. 2
Printed for the subscribers by D. Appleton and Company, New York, 1883
Part of: Artistic houses
Page 111
The expenditure of about eight hundred thousand dollars in furnishing and decorating the interior of a private residence (exclusive of the picture-gallery) was unknown in this country until Mr. W. H. VanDERBiLT contracted with the Herter Brothers for his magnificent house at Fifty-first Street and Fifth Avenue, the total cost of which, inside and outside, was not far from a million and three quarters of dollars. This very notable dwelling, externally a modern treatment of Roman Renaissance motives, is approached by an outer vestibule or atrium^ Outer ves-
Page 113
The only pictures in the hall are two life-size, full-length oilportraits of the late Commodore Vanderbilt and Mr. William H. Vanderbilt, on either side of the entrance to the drawing-room on the Fifth Avenue front, and into this brilliantly decorated apartment we now enter without further delay.
Page 115
the limits of good taste. Cost was not counted until the desired results had been secured. Wherever an effect was sought, the means most suitable to accomplish it were used at once, without thought of monetary outlay; and Mr. Vanderbilt has a drawing-room which, especially ' when lighted, might serve as an illustration to some of the most opulent pages of the " Thousand and One Nights."
Page 117
For the convenience of the public Mr. Vanderbilt has constructed Entrance
Page 119
tour of Meissonier, two of Gerome, two of Fromentin, two of Fortuny, two of Alma-Tadema, two of Couture, four of Villegas, three of Knaus, two of Corot, and three of Jules Dupre. Scarcely a foreign contemporaneous painter of distinction but has a place in this honorable retreat, and is represented by a picture that does him honor. Most private galleries—and public ones, too, for that matter—quietly suggest to the spectator how much more comfortable they would be if intelligently weeded by a careful hand; but Mr. Vanderbilt's admirable collection makes no such appeal. The principle of its selection has been cosmopolitan enough to suit all cultivated tastes, comprehensive enough to represent all modern schools, and learned enough to win respect for the particular examples upon which its favor has alighted; and, since Mr. Vanderbilt has generously set apart every Thursday, from eleven o'clock until four, as a time when the public may be admitted into the gallery by cards of invitation, the influence of his brilliant array of pictures is an important element in cultivating the artistic taste of the metropolis. The largest canvas is De Neuville's scene in the late Franco-German ^e New War, entitled " Le Bourget," which depicts the gallant defense of the Bourgetr church of the village of that name against an entire division of Prussian Guards. Eight officers and twenty men, inside the building, defended themselves (says General Ducrot) to the last extremity, and it became necessary to fire musketry through the windows, and to bring cannon, before the remnant of the heroic band would surrender. De Neuville, whose instincts are strongly dramatic, found here a theme worthy of his genius, and inspiring to his best resources. " The artist's pencil," said the present writer on another occasion, "has been equal to the delineation of the high resolve and dauntless fortitude of these patriots as the merciless missiles of the foe proceed to decimate them. It seems, indeed, that a dash of tragedy must color a scene, if De Neuville's genius is to be stirred to its depths. Detaille will paint to the life a
Page n47
dressingin Pompciiau Style, especially as respects the fantastic color-scheme of the decorated segmental barrel-arch of the ceiling, and the figures of women and mischievous Cupids at intervals along the fi-ieze—the whole hand-painted on canvas. The bath-tub, closets, and wash-bowls are all screened behind mahogany sliding doors, which have long mirrors on their faces, and the inside walls and ceilings are lined throughout with glass tiles, which also cover the othjer walls. The furniture consists almost exclusively of a dressing-table and a barber's chair, at the left of which hangs Forbes's picture of Mr. Vanderbilt driving his famous fast team of horses. .
Page n47
The library of Mr. George Vanderbilt is a comparatively plain and extremely comfortable room, whose walls are lined with mahogany bookcases ten feet high, upon which stand busts and vases, the ceiling being paneled in the same wood, and the wall-spaces concealed by a dark, rich leather paper. The effect of the whole is sober and serious. The bedroom opens out in the rear.
Page n47
Guest-room. The only guest-room on this floor was originally intended for Miss Vanderbilt before she became Mrs. Webb. It is a truly charming
Page n141
AIR. WILLIAM H. VANDERBILT S PICTURE-GALLERY (Second View).
Page n147
MRS. WILLIAM H. VANDERBILT S BOUDOIR
Privately Public: D. Appleton and Co.’s Artistic Houses (New York, 1883-4)
..If a portrait photograph can capture the likeness of a person in both appearance and character, so too can a photograph of an interior, such as those that appear in Artistic Houses, preserve both the form and feeling of a room. Published by D. Appleton and Company of New York in two volumes, each comprising two parts with 203 plates total, Artistic Houses was printed in a limited run of five hundred copies for preselected subscribers in ten sections over a two-year period between 1883 and 1884 ..
....The interiors featured in Artistic Houses were selected to represent “the triumphs of contemporaneous American interior architecture and decoration,” according to the ambitions of the author, photographer, and publisher responsible for the volumes, as well as the owners whose interiors were showcased therein. They were created, reconstructed, or refurnished around the same time and betray a decorative coherence if not conformity. Designers guaranteed homeowners fashionable rooms reflecting their wealth and status in an idiom where copying was not just a form of flattery but a way of demonstrably fitting in. Of the ninety-seven buildings photographed for Artistic Houses, ninety-three were private homes, 96 percent of whose interiors were spaces in which the family met or entertained selective audiences ..