Unusual Biltmore Jobs: Rosarian

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You could say that Emily Wilson’s interest in plants runs in her family: the Georgia native attended Auburn University, graduating from the College of Agriculture with a horticulture degree in Landscape Design, following in the footsteps of her mother who also graduated from Auburn with the same degree.

Whether gardening or rock climbing, Emily enjoys a wide range of outdoor adventures. Before moving to Asheville, she worked as a climbing and backpacking guide in Laramie, Wyoming.

“You can imagine how much fun that was,” Emily said, “but I missed my family and working with plants, so I came back home to the South.”

Biltmore's Rose Garden and ConservatoryEmily joined Biltmore’s horticulture team in 2012 and rose to the role of Lead Gardener at the Inn on Biltmore Estate. “It’s a wonderful place to work because of the wonderful people who work there,” she said, “so when the opportunity arose to become the estate’s rosarian, it was really difficult for me to leave those folks at the inn.”

According to Emily, taking care of Biltmore’s Historic Rose Garden is a dynamic job. “As highly scrutinized, ornamental plants that have a lot of pest and disease pressure, it takes a considerable amount of care to keep roses looking their best,” Emily explained. “Plus, there are over 2,000 roses in the garden…that’s a lot of roses!”

Some of Emily’s basic rosarian responsibilities include managing insect and disease problems, managing soil quality and the plants’ nutrition and irrigation needs, assessing rose quality, ordering new roses, rose installation, pruning, deadheading, mulching, weeding (yes, even Biltmore gets the occasional weed!), and so much more.

Red roses in Biltmore's garden“We also host International Rose Trials,” said Emily. “Rose breeders from all over the world send their roses to us to be trialed. We plant these ‘newfangled’ roses and grow them for a few years. During this time judges come to assess their quality, and at the end of three years the best roses are given awards for excellence. The purpose of these trials is to find the most beautiful, disease resistant, quality roses that just about anyone can grow, and we hope it will allow rose gardening to seem accessible to everyone.”

Surprisingly, Emily used to think she didn’t much care for roses. “I don’t know—maybe it was the thorns or the notoriety,” she said, “but look at me now—I’m starry-eyed and rose-obsessed!”

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.

How Vanderbilt’s taste influences modern design

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Our stunning new Legacy Rug Collection, hand-knotted in 100% New Zealand wool, is directly inspired by similar floor coverings in Biltmore House. These heirloom-quality rugs are sure to become treasured keepsakes that last for generations.

“We really love this new collection,” said Donnette Miller, Licensing Director for Biltmore, “because they make beautiful accents for almost any room, whether modern or traditional. Two of the rugs are also perfectly on-trend with Pantone’s choice of “Marsala” as their prestigious 2015 Color of the Year.”

Biltmore's rug collection

Our archives indicate that as construction began on Biltmore House in 1889, George Vanderbilt and architect Richard Morris Hunt traveled to Europe with a goal of purchasing furnishings for the interiors. Vanderbilt bought case after case of furniture, decorative accessories, tapestries, art objects, and as many as 300 rugs at one time. (An original rug shown, right) 

There is no sign that Vanderbilt ever worked with an advisor other than Hunt to assist him with purchases. What is clear from looking at receipts and other documents is that Vanderbilt for the most part purchased what he personally appreciated and what he wanted to be surrounded by, not what was most popular, most valuable, or most likely to impress others.

A quarter-century of inspiration

Twenty-five years ago, Biltmore began working with our first licensed partners to develop furnishings and accessories inspired by the collections in America’s largest home.

We partnered with Capel Rugs in 2005. Their Legacy Collection takes inspiration from Biltmore’s collection of floor-coverings, borrowing design motifs and updating the color themes to coordinate with today’s home décor. (Detail of original rug show; left)

According to Donnette, “Great style never goes out of style, and we think it’s wonderful that a color and a design that appealed to the Vanderbilts 100 years ago is relevant today.”

See the collection here.

Introducing Collector’s Room: a look into the inspiration for our Chateau Dining Table

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George Vanderbilt traveled throughout his life, learning more about the world through its history, culture, and art. In a single ten-year period, his fascination with foreign lands took him throughout Europe and Scandinavia, the Mediterranean and northern Africa, and to the Middle East and Japan. (Tyrolean Upholstered Bed, inspired by an original bed in the Tyrolean Chimney Room, shown right)

Many of the treasures Mr. Vanderbilt collected from around the world remain on display in Biltmore House, so it’s no wonder our design partners spend days examining the exquisite details of furnishings, textiles, and architectural designs. Intricate carvings, antique patterns, exotic curios from around the globe—all provide inspiration to create relevant products for today’s homes.

Collector’s Room, our newest offering of elegant furniture and accessories, highlights this process. Each piece, distinctive on its own, is comfortable, elegant, and charming. Each piece celebrates a timeless way of life inspired by George and Edith Vanderbilt’s vision of gracious living and hospitality. Grounded in beauty and refinement, the spirit of Biltmore is captured in every stylish detail and exquisite element of these furnishings. (Acquisitions Entertainment Base & Deck, shown left)

Our new Chateau Dining Table is a remarkable example of how Biltmore’s beauty can be translated into an heirloom-quality piece that suits your lifestyle.

Finding inspiration

One of the most inspiring rooms in Biltmore House is the Library—a soaring space that holds 10,000 volumes of George Vanderbilt’s enormous book collection. Architect Richard Morris Hunt intended the Library to showcase the vivid “Chariot of Aurora” ceiling painting, and he designed magnificent furnishings to complement the size and style of the grand room, including the slant-front book table (pictured, right) and the rolling staircase.


For the second level of the Library, Hunt designed a series of Baroque-style reading stools featuring heavily scrolled and foliate-carved legs. They were produced to Hunt’s specifications by The Hayden Furniture Company of Rochester, New York—a favorite manufacturer of the era for many wealthy Americans. These elegant pieces are crafted of walnut, which has an excellent grain for carving, good dimensional stability, inherent strength because of the grain pattern, and a lovely warm tone.

Chateau Dining Table

Although today’s guests rarely glimpse the stools in their balcony setting, our product designers were entranced by the craftsmanship and the bold acanthus leaf detailing. Acanthus is a classical motif thought to represent the cyclical nature of life, and this carving was the inspiration for an elegant new dining table by our Fine Furniture Design partners.

 

The Chateau Dining Table (acanthus leg detail, left) reflects an emphasis on classic styling and provides a formal tone for modern homes. It features burl veneers with mahogany inlays, and is available in an Heirloom Chestnut finish, which is hand-rubbed for a subtle sheen. Both our Steamship Splat Back Chairs and our Caravan Upholstered Chairs (with or without arms; both are shown in featured image) make elegant partners for this handsome table.

Find the Chateau Dining Table here.

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.