Biltmore’s Curatorial Team: Current Projects

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Biltmore’s curatorial team oversees the research and interpretation of the historic collections, interiors, and history of Biltmore Estate, including managing room restoration projects, exhibitions, tours, and publications. The collections management team oversees the cataloging, documentation and preservation of Biltmore collection objects.

Above, we see artifacts used by Biltmore Dairy delivery men that Associate Collections Manager Lenore Hardin is cataloging. The items include an insulated porch box (for leaving fresh milk on the customer’s doorstep), a bottle carrier (for carrying  bottles to and from the truck), a stackable wire milk crate, and Biltmore Dairy milk bottles. 

Here are a few more of their current projects…

George Vanderbilt’s application to the New York chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution

While doing research, Curatorial Assistant Lori Garst found George Vanderbilt’s application to the New York chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. His application was sponsored by his uncle Benjamin Kissam, the brother of his mother, Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt.

strips of wallpaper came from the bedroom of Mrs. King, Biltmore’s longtime housekeeper

From the desk of Biltmore’s Collections Manager, Laura Overbey: These strips of wallpaper came from the bedroom of Mrs. King, Biltmore’s longtime housekeeper. It’s one of the unrestored rooms guests can visit on the Behind-the-Scenes Guided Upstairs-Downstairs Tour.

a picture of little George Vanderbilt's sister Lila and little George and Lila as children in the 1860s

Curatorial Assistant Lori Garst has seen more Vanderbilt family photos than just about anyone. As part of her job cataloging the 9,000+ photos in Biltmore’s collection, she has learned to recognize family members by face. On her desk, a picture of George Vanderbilt’s sister Lila and little George and Lila as children in the 1860s.

Read our blogs on Biltmore’s Archival and Conservation team to see what other projects are underway at Biltmore.

Exploring George Vanderbilt’s Library

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Even in Biltmore House, where so many rooms are filled with amazing collections of beautiful things, the Library still shines as a special place. George Vanderbilt was a remarkable man, and it’s fascinating to learn more about him through the creation of his magnificent and enduring library at Biltmore.

Learn more about George Vanderbilt’s tastes and interests with this look at some noteworthy books that form the Biltmore House Library collection.

When he was 12, George Vanderbilt began recording the names of each book he read in a journal, and he continued that habit throughout his life. If we look at any representative year, we get a sense of the breadth of his intellect. In 1899, Mr. Vanderbilt read a total of 51 books: 31 were novels, including The Two Magies and The Awkward Age by Henry James and Antonia or the Fall of Rome by Wilkie Collins. 

An up-close look at leather-bound books in the collection
An up-close look at leather-bound books in the collection

Most of the books George Vanderbilt collected were sent to one of the great bookbinders of the period, such as Riviere, Stikeman, Lortic, or David.  A few months later they would be returned beautifully bound in Moroccan leather, with gilt lettering and decoration, to be placed on the shelves of the Biltmore House Library.

By the time of his death, George Vanderbilt had collected more than 23,000 volumes. Approximately one-third of the volumes were antiquarian purchases, with the oldest appearing to be an Italian work published in 1561. The major strengths of the collection are 19th-century English and American literature, art and architecture; travel, philosophy and religion; history; and French fiction and non-fiction reflecting both his and his wife’s interest in France and their fluency in the French language.

Detailed look at a large bookpress in Library in Biltmore House

The Biltmore House Library contains a complete and important set of James Audubon’s The Birds of America and The Quadrapeds of America. The copies are unusual in that they are the smaller octavo edition, not the very large elephant folio edition so prized by print collectors. What makes Biltmore’s set particularly interesting is that they are bound with the original paper wrappers that accompanied each part as Audubon’s publisher issued them.

Another important work is Thomas McKenney and James Hall’s History of the Indian Tribes of North America. Our volumes are the original large folio edition and contain a full set of the original 120 hand-colored lithographs. Many of the original oil paintings by Charles Bird King from which these folio prints were taken were destroyed by a fire in the Smithsonian in 1865.

More Than a Housekeeper: Mrs. King

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You may not realize it from her position, but one of the significant figures in Biltmore’s past is Emily Rand King, who served as housekeeper and head of staff for the Vanderbilts from 1897–1914.

Learn about the life of Biltmore’s longtime housekeeper, Mrs. King, in this blog.

Housekeeper's room in Biltmore House.
Housekeeper’s room in Biltmore House.

Three things to know:

  • Although we don’t have photographs of her, there is a great deal of correspondence in the Biltmore archives concerning Mrs. King.
  • She was always referred to as “Mrs.” King, although we believe she was unmarried while working at Biltmore. The title was likely a courtesy used to reflect a level of authority, age, and respect—similar to “Mrs. Hughes,” the head housekeeper in Downton Abbey.
  • Housekeepers of the time were responsible for managing a large staff and keeping track of household expenses in addition to maintaining most aspects of daily life in the home.
Vignette of Mrs. King and Edith Vanderbilt in the Oak Sitting Room as displayed in the 2019 exhibtion,
Vignette of Mrs. King and Edith Vanderbilt in the Oak Sitting Room as displayed in the 2019 exhibition, “A Vanderbilt House Party.”

Early Life & Arrival to Biltmore

Emily King was born December 7, 1853, in the village of Horndon on the Hill, Essex County, England. By her early 20s, she worked as a domestic servant for a London physician.

Sometime prior to August 1897, she traveled to New York on her way to Biltmore, where she joined several English servants on the estate, including the valet, four butlers, a cook, a housemaid, and a coachman. Adding further international flair to the household was an Irish butler, French chef, Swedish laundress, and Italian stable boss.

Biltmore’s archives make it clear Mrs. King was responsible for cleaning the house, caring for the staff, hiring and firing staff members, and also coordinating many aspects of the family’s lives such as meeting with the Vanderbilts each morning to review the chef’s suggested menus and plan for guest activities, then meeting with the Chef and Head Butler to review the plans. She and the Head Butler supervised all staff except for the kitchen staff who worked for the Chef.

During the family’s frequent travels, Mrs. King stayed behind with the Head Butler to ensure the smooth operation of the house, including making arrangements for special guests staying at Biltmore in the family’s absence and preparing the house for their return. She also extended social invitations for Mrs. Vanderbilt, serving as a personal secretary of sorts.

As a high-ranking member of Biltmore’s domestic staff, Mrs. King was provided with horses for her use and was allowed to keep her own dogs in Biltmore House—the dog gate still exists in the Kitchen Hallway that Mrs. Vanderbilt installed to keep the housekeeper’s dogs out.

Detailed view of Mrs. King’s clothing recreation as displayed in “A Vanderbilt House Party” in 2019.

Life After Biltmore

Soon after George Vanderbilt’s death in 1914, Emily King resigned and embarked upon a new life. She met and married W.C. Jones, a widowed farmer from near Raleigh, NC, and moved to Pennsylvania to be near family. Sometime later that year, the couple purchased an orange grove near Apopka, FL. In December 1914, estate superintendent Chauncey Beadle wrote a note of thanks for the box of oranges Mrs. Jones sent to Biltmore for the holidays.

Biltmore curators learned that Emily King Jones purchased and managed a boarding house in Apopka, which she named the Biltmore Inn, and operated it until the early 1920s.

After retiring from a lifetime of serving others, Mrs. Jones returned to Pennsylvania, where she resided until her death in 1926.

Historic Hand-Colored Postcards

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Each September, we turn our gardening attention to a friendly competition taking place in a corner of Biltmore’s Walled Garden. Here, a jury gathers in the historic Rose Garden to evaluate roses bred by professionals and beginners on fragrance, overall health and rigor, and ability to repeat bloom. It’s part of the Biltmore International Rose Trials, scheduled this year for September 28-29.

Rooted in our past

Roses are rooted in Biltmore’s past. The Rose Garden is original to the Walled Garden, and is thought to have been used to promote the estate when John and Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil first opened the doors of Biltmore House for public tours in 1930.

From black-and-white to color

At that time Chauncey Beadle, a horticulturalist and the estate’s superintendent, worked with a postcard company to produce a set of 26 hand-colored postcards based on a series of black-and-white photographs taken by George Masa, known for his documentation of and preservation efforts for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Because color photographic film was rare at the time, it was a popular practice to hand-color photographs and postcards.

Original photo of Biltmore’s Rose Garden by George Masa, c. 1930

Original photo of Biltmore’s Rose Garden and Conservatory; George Masa, c. 1930

Photo of Biltmore’s Rose Garden by Christopher Shane, 2011

Timeless images

During the first year of our International Rose Trials in 2011, local photographer Christopher Shane was on assignment for WNC Magazine and captured nearly the same angle of the Rose Garden at peak bloom that George Masa had shot 70 years earlier. Except for the English Ivy above and around the windows of the Conservatory, it could almost be a mirror image of Masa’s black-and-white photos.

Featured blog photo: One of 26 hand-colored postcards that Chauncey Beadle worked to have produced around 1930 

A Musical Portrait

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Among the most eye-catching elements of the Oak Sitting Room are two John Singer Sargent portraits, each with a distinctly different feel. The demure woman in a silk gown is Mrs. Benjamin Kissam, George Vanderbilt’s aunt. The lively woman dressed in a Spanish mantilla and flouncey dress is one of George Vanderbilt’s favorite cousins, Virginia Purdy Barker, otherwise known as Mrs. Walter Rathbone Bacon.

Virginia, whose nickname was Jenny, was born in 1853 and spent much of her youth in Bordeaux, France. She and her brother Clarence were George’s frequent travel companions and the three shared a love of music. While Clarence died not long after Biltmore House opened, Virginia, George, and their friends enjoyed happy times in the home as evidenced by photos taken during this time.

John Singer Sargent had painted family portraits for the Vanderbilts since around 1888 when he completed a portrait of Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt, George’s mother, which is displayed in the Tapestry Gallery along with Sargent’s 1890 portrait of George Vanderbilt. In 1895, Sargent painted Richard Morris Hunt, Biltmore’s architect, and Frederick Law Olmsted, the estate’s landscape architect; both of these works can be seen in the Second Floor Living Hall.

It was also in 1895 that Sargent first discussed painting a portrait of Mrs. Bacon; however, he was delayed in starting it, as he wrote George Vanderbilt for “want of success in finding a fine old frame for it.” He was concerned that frame needed to be comparable to those used in the portraits of Olmsted and Hunt. In the end, he opted to have a frame made.

The portrait was finally painted in 1896 and although Sargent wrote that Mrs. Bacon would have liked for it to have been displayed in New York before shipping to Asheville, there wasn’t enough time. The portrait arrived at Biltmore in December 1896.

Curator of Interpretation Leslie Klinger says that the portrait of Mrs. Bacon is reminiscent of Sargent’s early work and reflects his love of Spanish music and dance. In addition to being one of the foremost portrait painters of his time, Sargent was also an accomplished pianist.

Leslie speculates that perhaps the musical connection between artist and subject inspired this portrait. Sargent’s choices “make you realize what a fun person she must have been,” says Leslie. “You can understand why she was one of George’s favorite cousins.”

Mrs. Bacon’s portrait is a reminder of the role music has played in the life of Biltmore—a tradition that continues with the Biltmore Concert Series which brings outstanding performers to our unforgettable surroundings. See this year’s line-up and purchase tickets here.

Photos

Top: This circa 1892 photo shows family and friends visiting George Vanderbilt at Biltmore. From left (seated): Vanderbilt's cousin-in-law Walter Rathbone Bacon, forester Gifford Pinchot, and cousin Virginia Barker Bacon; (standing): Vanderbilt's nieces Emily and Adele Sloan, and George Vanderbilt.

Right: Portrait of Mrs. Walter Rathbone Bacon by John Singer Sargent, 1896.

From Valet to World Traveler: Wilfred Shackley

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The typical duties of a Vanderbilt-era valet included attending to their employer, especially assisting with dressing and preparing for the day, much like a lady’s maid. They would often travel with their employer, arranging for accommodations and transportation and managing luggage.

While we do not have a lot of information about Mr. Vanderbilt’s valets over the years, we do know a bit about one in particular named Wilfred Shackley including:

  • He was employed by George Vanderbilt from around 1900-1906.
  • It is believed that his wife, Madeleine Henry Shackley, was the Mademoiselle Henry that was once Edith Vanderbilt’s lady’s maid.
  • Wilfred Shackley was English and was engaged by Mr. Vanderbilt while abroad in 1899.
  • He spoke German and French fluently, which was highly beneficial given how widely he would travel alongside Mr. Vanderbilt.
Recreation of clothing worn by George Vanderbilt’s valet as it was displayed in
Recreation of clothing worn by George Vanderbilt’s valet as it was displayed in “A Vanderbilt House Party” exhibition in 2019. Over his arm is a driving duster, as if he is assisting George prepare for a drive across his estate.

Fascinating glimpses into the life and times of Mr. Shackley

In researching the domestic staff who worked for the Vanderbilts, our Museum Services team uncovered a 1973 newspaper article in the Hendersonville Times-News about Wilfred George Shackley.

“Few people have been able to cram into their lifetime book of memories as many world trips, as many confrontations with kings and potentates and as much hobnobbing with world celebrities as Wilfred G. Shackley of Flat Rock who celebrated his 98th birthday last week.

“Sleeping in the White House at the invitation of President Theodore Roosevelt, meeting Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and King Edward of England and traveling around the world with millionaire George Vanderbilt, original owner of Biltmore House are only a few of the highlights of Shackley’s career.

“Born in June 17, 1875 Shackley attended school in England and came to the United States when he was 15 years old. When he came to this country he worked and attended night school and learned accounting, bookkeeping and typing. When he was 19 years old a cotton broker engaged him to go to Shanghai with him.

“He was there eight months and returned to London wearing the white type of clothing usually worn in China.

“When he checked in at the hotel where he usually stayed the clerk greeted him and said ‘You’re just the man we are looking for.’ He added ‘There’s a millionaire here from America looking for someone to travel around the world and keep his records.’

“Shackley says he was introduced to Vanderbilt and when the millionaire learned he spoke several languages he immediately hired him. He said ‘we leave for Paris day after tomorrow.’ Shackley said he told Vanderbilt it would be impossible because all the clothing he had was light clothing he brought from the Orient. Vanderbilt postponed the start of the journey ten days for Shackley’s convenience.

“The Flat Rock retiree spent a number of years traveling with Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt, keeping records of their travels, purchases and other details. Among the countries visited were Russia, Germany, France, Holland, Italy, China, Japan, the Philippines and Canada.

“In his travels Vanderbilt was seeking art treasures, tapestries, statuary, works in silver and gold and historic treasures.

“Shackley has also played chess with a set of chessmen which Napoleon used while he was imprisoned at St. Helena. Vanderbilt acquired the set and it is a part of the possessions at Biltmore House.”

George Vanderbilt’s friend James McHenry gifted him a chess set made of natural and red-stained ivory that once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, former emperor of France. Photo credit: @Kristen.Maag
George Vanderbilt’s friend James McHenry gifted him a chess set made of natural and red-stained ivory that once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte, former emperor of France. Photo credit: @Kristen.Maag

Life after Biltmore

After leaving service at Biltmore, Shackley went to work for a Wall Street bond company, later selling bonds in Paris. He served in World War II with the War Department then became vice president of Henry Rump and Sons, a wholesale fruit and vegetable business founded by his father-in-law. The Shackleys ran this business until his retirement in 1966 when he turned 90.

He passed away at the age of 101 in Hendersonville, NC.

Credit: Excerpts from “William [sic] Shackley At Age 98 Has Led A Full Life,” July 23, 1973, Hendersonville News-Times.

National Historic Landmark Designation Illustrates U.S. Heritage

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Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina was officially nominated as a National Historic Landmark on May 23, 1963.

The original landmark designation was based on the theme “Conservation of Natural Resources.” The description for Biltmore was:

At Biltmore, the George W. Vanderbilt estate near Asheville, Gifford Pinchot demonstrated for the first time in the United States that scientific forest management could be profitable and was, thus, good business practice. Another ‘first’ in forestry occurred here in 1898 when the first forestry school in the United States was opened, the Biltmore Forest School, headed by Dr. Carl A. Schenck. Nearly 87,000 acres of the estate’s forest land is now included in Pisgah National Forest. The building in which the school was conducted is owned by the city of Asheville and used today for offices.

Dr. Carl A. Schenck with Biltmore Forest School students, 1900*
Dr. Carl A. Schenck with Biltmore Forest School students, 1900. Image courtesy of National Forests of North Carolina Historic Photographs, D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina Asheville, Asheville, NC.

Beginning in 2000, Biltmore began an effort to expand the landmark designation beyond conservation to include the themes of architecture, landscape architecture, and social history, and to extend the period of significance to 1950 to include the contributions of Chauncey Beadle, estate superintendent, and improvements and significance of the Biltmore Dairy during those years. The Secretary of the Interior approved this expansion on April 5, 2005. 

Estate Superintendent Chauncey Beadle, 1948
Estate Superintendent Chauncey Beadle, 1948

Bill Alexander, Biltmore’s former landscape and forest historian and participant in the five-year project of gathering additional documentation for the expanded designation, said that Biltmore has to submit periodic reports to the National Park Service to describe any changes occurring to the property, including natural disasters and damage such as the floods and tree loss caused by Hurricanes Frances and Ivan in 2005. 

He also noted that the building referenced in the original nomination is located in Biltmore Village.

“The office building at 1 Biltmore Plaza was where the Biltmore Forest School held its fall and winter classes for a number of years,” Bill said. “It was the first new, permanent structure completed in Biltmore Village after George Vanderbilt purchased the village in 1894, followed by the passenger train depot in 1895 and All Souls Church in 1896, all designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt.”

1 Biltmore Plaza in Biltmore Village, 1895
1 Biltmore Plaza in Biltmore Village, 1895

“Biltmore sold the office building to the City of Asheville in 1929, and leased the downstairs for corporate offices while the upstairs was used as a substation of the Asheville Fire Department.”

Biltmore eventually repurchased the building and currently uses it for office space.

The National Park Service lists more than 2,500 historic properties “that illustrate the heritage of the United States.” National Historic Landmarks include historic buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts, with each landmark representing an outstanding aspect of American history and culture.

Plan your visit to Biltmore today and enjoy the splendor of this National Historic Landmark.

Wedding gifts befitting a Vanderbilt

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The April 29, 1924 wedding of Cornelia Vanderbilt and the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil drew guests from around the world, who brought with them lavish gifts from their home countries.

Gifts given with meaning

Many of the gifts had personal significance to the couple. Her mother, Edith Vanderbilt, gifted a cocktail shaker and brooch to John Cecil, while John Cecil’s father gave a diamond and sapphire horseshoe-shaped brooch to Cornelia to celebrate her skill with horses. Cornelia’s maid-of-honor gifted her with a distinctive marabou feathered throw along with other bedding, still part of Biltmore’s collection. Sir Esme Howard, British Ambassador, gifted the couple with Essays of Bacon, honoring John Cecil’s homeland and the couples’ intellectual interests.

Not all of John and Cornelia’s wedding gifts were given by those with fabulous wealth. The servants of Biltmore House, coordinated by butlers Arthur Hopkins, William Donahue, and Herbert Noble, pooled funds to give the couple a china breakfast set. Gifts from other residents of the estate included baskets, brooms, door stops, kumquat marmalade, and a puppy! Even more meaningful than gifts, estate employees gathered outside the house the night before the wedding with noisemakers and a band to celebrate Cornelia on the eve of her special day.

Below are photos of several notable wedding gifts, which can be seen at The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad exhibition in Antler Hill Village.

Cupid and Psyche figurine, late 19th century, French bisque porcelain and ormolu.
Hatpin, ca. 1924 from Cartier, New York. Made of carved jadeite, sapphire, diamond, and platinum with original case.
Vanity case with attached lipstick and cigarette holder, ca. 1924 from Cartier. Made of gold, enamel, carved jadeite, platinum, diamond, and onyx, in the original box. The case opens to reveal a mirror, powder compartment, and powder puff.
Shoulder brooch for Scottish plaids, Henry Tatton, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1919. Featuring cairngorm (smoky quartz) and sterling silver. And Amethyst pendant, ca. 1924.

Restoration retrospective: Louis XV velvet wallcovering

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One of the grandest guest rooms in Biltmore House—the Louis XV Room—had only a few reminders of its former beauty until its three-year restoration was completed in April 2009. Today, let’s take a closer look at the fabric that is the focal point of this room.

The Louis XV Room was used for storage and was on Biltmore’s behind-the-scenes tour for a number of years.

Its beautiful red and gold velvet wallcovering had become brittle over the past 100 years, leading to splitting and tearing, and exposure to light had faded the gold to more of a cream color. In 2007, Biltmore’s conservation staff began removal of the original fabric panels, carefully documenting and archiving the panels for storage.

Our curators turned to Tassinari & Chatel located in Lyon, France, to reproduce this important figured velvet. In business since 1680, Tassinari & Chatel is internationally renowned for its  brocades, damasks, cut velvets, and other silk fabrics. According to archival correspondence, George Vanderbilt purchased many fabrics from the company in the late 1800s for his new home.

The red and gold velvet was hand woven on century-old Jacquard looms, in the same manner as the cut velvets Vanderbilt purchased a century earlier.

Skilled artisans were able to weave two yards per week because of the intense time-consuming process. It took a total of 200 yards to complete the entire room.

Craftsmen repaired the intricate plaster moldings and trim in the room before the new wallcovering was installed.

Specialists were brought in to handle installation of the sumptous cut velvet panels.

The results are breathtaking—even six years later—with the richly adorned walls and draperies complimenting the delicate curves and rounded forms of the Louis XV style furnishings.

Restoration retrospective: Wallpapering the Tyrolean Chimney Room

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This April marks the sixth anniversary of the restoration of the Louis XV Suite, the grandest guest bedrooms in Biltmore House. We’re taking a look back at the exquisite artistry employed over the course of this extensive project that brought these rooms back to their original and stunning appearances. Today, we’re focusing on the wallpaper in the Tyrolean Chimney Room. Appearing simple at first glance, a closer look reveals an elegant floral design with delicate gold striping in the background.

It is an exact reproduction of the original wallpaper, and was created by Atelier d’Offard, a small company in Tours, France that specializes in traditional block printed wallpapers.

The original wallpaper had long been removed and the room had been used for storage before the three-year restoration project began.

Biltmore’s Museum Services staff discovered small fragments of the original paper beneath drapery brackets and behind wood trim.

These were pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle to determine the original wallpaper’s design.

From these samples, Atelier d’Offard reproduced the original design. Craftsmen carved wooden blocks to create the patten, then applied paint to the blocks and pressed them onto the paper by hand. 

Each section of paper was carefully matched to the previous section to ensure the pattern was perfectly aligned.

Once completed, the wallpaper was shipped to Biltmore and installed in the Tyrolean Chimney Room, helping to return it to its original appearance.