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.

Restoration Retrospective: Tyrolean Chimney Room

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As part of our look back at the extensive renovation project that returned the Louis XV Suite of Biltmore House to its current splendor, let’s take a moment to consider the namesake of the Tyrolean Chimney Room: the wonderful tile chimney and mantel.

Detailed view of the tile over-mantel in the Tyrolean Chimney Room
Detailed view of the tile over-mantel in the Tyrolean Chimney Room

The fireplace over-mantel (its correct name) was constructed from a tile-stove known as a kachelöfen that George Vanderbilt likely purchased in his European travels, possibly in Switzerland. Created in the 18th century, Biltmore’s Tyrolean Chimney is made of tin-glazed earthenware tiles hand-painted with exquisite floral designs.

Prior to restoration in 2009, the over-mantel was the focal point of a room used to store beds and frames.

Tyrolean Chimney Room of Biltmore House prior to restoration
Tyrolean Chimney Room of Biltmore House prior to restoration

The Museum Services staff worked with Prelle, a company in Lyon, France that specializes in silk fabrics, to exactly reproduce a figured velvet for the window draperies.

Museum Services and a Prelle representative are comparing the velvet to the colors in the tiles.
Museum Services and a Prelle representative are comparing the velvet to the colors in the tiles.

While the tile was in relatively good condition for its age, Biltmore’s conservators spent hundreds of hours cleaning and in-painting damaged areas of the over-mantel.

Handpainting flower details on the over-mantel
Handpainting flower details on the over-mantel

The painstaking work required a combination of conservation experience and artistic ability.

Detailed view of the handpainted flowers on the over-mantel
Detailed view of the handpainted flowers on the over-mantel

The results show the vivid colors and delicate florals that inspired the room’s striking design.

Tyrolean Chimney Room of Biltmore House after restoration was completed
Tyrolean Chimney Room of Biltmore House after restoration was completed

Learn more about the one of Biltmore’s largest preservation projects to date: restoring the Louis XV Suite—the grandest guest rooms in Biltmore House.

Dressing Downton™ with Biltmore’s Floral Design Team

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Dressing Downton™ has ended. Please enjoy this archived content.

When you walk into the Salon during the Dressing Downton™ exhibit, right away you notice the striking purple ensemble—the one worn by Lady Violet Crawley during Season 1 of the PBS Masterpiece series Downton Abbey® in an episode about the village flower show.

It’s no accident that the costume seems perfectly in place in the room, although the reason why may not be immediately obvious. Look around and you’ll see that the exquisite floral arrangements in the room pick up the blues and purples of the dress and hat, and echo the style of Edwardian flower arranging seen in the episode.Edith's bedroom

That’s the work of Biltmore’s Floral team, which not only handles the estate’s arrangement year-round but took on the additional task of enhancing the Downton exhibit with show-stopping flowers.

Cathy Barnhardt, Floral Manager, heads the team comprised of seven full-time and 10 reserve staff. Each week, the designers create the sumptuous displays seen in Biltmore House, taking inspiration from the time period when the Vanderbilts lived here, and the architecture, and the furnishing. During this special exhibition, they also took cues from the exquisite costumes.

In the Tapestry Gallery, the particular orange-red of Lady Mary’s coat is picked up in the simple, graceful arrangement nearby. The fox collar of the coat worn by character Martha Levinson inspired the colors seen in the arrangement in the Claude Room.

Cathy says color is very important to their designs, but it’s not the only consideration. During the Dressing Downton exhibition, overall floral design in the house was influenced by English garden style: loose arrangements, trailing vines, lilies, and peonies.Entry Hall

The scale of Biltmore House requires big thinking: the Banquet Hall ceilings in are 70 feet high, so oversize urns filled with big and bountiful arrangements are placed on top of the dining table. In this room, Lord Grantham’s bright scarlet military “Spencer” jacket inspires “patriotic” themes and arrangements, says Cathy.

In the team’s Basement work room, the walls are lined with period-appropriate vases, urns, and other containers such as French painted porcelains, Creamware, and Chinese blue and white ginger jars and fish bowls to match with the designer’s ideas. To come up with this inventory, Cathy researched Vanderbilt family history, scanned the Sargent paintings, and pored over photos of Newport mansions and English castles to determine what kind of containers would have been used in the house and how the designs would have looked.

rosesFloral designers also take into account what they know about the individual tastes of the Vanderbilts.  “Mrs. Vanderbilt loved roses,” Cathy says, so the team makes use of roses from the gardens while they are blooming in addition to flowers from distributors. Greenery is cut from around the estate and arrangements are switched out on Thursdays and Fridays.

The arrangements and artistry that the Floral team contributes add to the distinction of Biltmore as a family home—which is especially evident with during this exhibition.

“When people lived and celebrated here,” says Cathy, “gardens were very important. Our designers breathe life into Biltmore House.”

See what our designers have created when you visit now through May 26 for the Dressing Downton™ exhibition. 

Photos

Top: The Banquet Hall features Lord and Lady Grantham’s evening wear and dramatic centerpieces..

Top Left: Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Bedroom features Lady Mary Crawley’s evening dress and her lady’s maid uniform.

Right: The Entry Hall welcomes guests to the Dressing Downton™ exhibition.

Bottom Left: Roses beneath a portrait of Edith Vanderbilt in the Tapestry Gallery.

Uncovering a life—based on a coat

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Recently, Biltmore’s Lenore Hardin, Associate Collections Manager, was cataloguing a servant’s livery coat from the Biltmore House collection when she discovered a label inside. It read, “S. Patrick… Mrs. Geo. Vanderbilt… Nov. 12 1921.”

Since the Museum Services staff was unaware of a servant by that name who had worked at Biltmore House, they dug a little deeper. Through research both in the Biltmore archives as well as in birth, death, census and transatlantic passenger records, they were able to piece together the sad tale of an interesting man.Servant livery coat worn by footman Sefton Patrick, 1921

Like many other footmen who worked at Biltmore, Sefton Patrick was an Englishman trained in domestic service recruited to work at Biltmore. He first appears on a passenger list from Southampton, England to New York in 1913. He was 29 years old, single, and his profession was listed as “steward.”

Soon thereafter he was hired by George Vanderbilt’s sister, as he shows up on the 1920 U.S. Census as a servant working in the New York home of William Seward and Lila Webb.

In 1921 Sefton Patrick began work at Biltmore House as a footman, or underbutler. It appears by all accounts that he was a hardworking, devoted member of the domestic ranks. In February 1922, however, he became ill with tuberculosis. At first he was cared for by a local doctor, and correspondence in the archives indicates that Edith Vanderbilt helped support Patrick by sending him monthly checks.

He recovered enough to come back to work in the fall of 1923, but he had a second “breakdown” in February 1924 and was admitted to the Stonehedge Sanitarium in Asheville. His condition was serious enough that estate superintendent Chauncey Beadle helped Patrick get a disability insurance policy. Biltmore continued to pay for his doctor’s bills and as well room and board at three different sanitariums.

monogrammed buttonMrs. Vanderbilt planned to employ Patrick “to take charge of her garden and grounds around her new home” once his condition improved. Patrick wrote to Mrs. Vanderbilt:
“I must thank you for your kind offers, received through Mr. Hopkins. It is really thoughtful that you should so consider my future… Am glad to say that I continue to feel well and hold my weight, so there is every reason to believe that I am making good progress and will eventually overcome it permanently. I am more than sorry that there seems little chance of me starting work in December but if I continue to improve I hope that I will be well enough in the spring… I sincerely feel that is my duty both to you, for giving me such an opportunity, and to Dr. Dunn who takes a personal interest in my care… I must thank you for your continued interest, it is a tremendous help, and a continual incentive for me to do my very best to get well and make a real cure.”

Sadly, Patrick’s condition did not improve. In 1926, he moved to New Mexico, where thousands of tuberculosis patients had traveled to seek treatment with its dry climate, high elevation, and sunshine.

In November 1927, Patrick wrote to Mrs. Vanderbilt’s secretary, William Ashby: “Glad to say I’m going on pretty well. Haven’t made such rapid progress as I had hoped but am getting over the danger period (Dr. Peters noticed that I slipped periodically) but have steadily improved so can feel encouraged that am on the way to permanent cure.”

A few months later, Patrick wrote to Beadle about some insurance matters. He noted, “I have more than a suspicion that Dr. Peters considers me a ‘chronic’ case though I refuse to look at it in that light myself. My argument is that if one can change for the worse—one can also for the better! I know it is a question whether I can recover sufficiently to return to my old occupation or any kind of physical work. That is the reason I now spend my mornings at school—I feel bookkeeping etc. should be handy in whatever line I may happen to work in the future.”crest button

Patrick continued to correspond with Beadle and Ashby throughout the year, always giving reports on his health in an upbeat manner and expressing confidence in an eventual cure. In a letter dated April 8, 1927, however, Patrick conceded: “My mother is 73 years old. Up until the time of my sickness I had visited her often. I had just returned from England previous to coming to Mrs. Gerry six years ago. I am glad to say she is in wonderful health but should anything happen it would be necessary for me to go and needless to say I would like to be with her before. . . . . . It is an event that I cannot contemplate but of course has been in my mind since this ‘curing’ has taken so long.”

By 1928 it is clear that Patrick’s health had deteriorated even more. In one of his last letters, he wrote, “Glad to say am pretty well though I’m 20 pounds lighter than when I got here and at present don’t walk. I feel once I can regain my appetite though I’ll pick up again.”

Death records indicate that Sefton Patrick died on December 26, 1928. He was laid to rest in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Photos

Top right: Servant livery coat worn by footman Sefton Patrick, 1921.

Center: Close up of coat button showing George Washington Vanderbilt's monogram.

Bottom right: Close up of coat button showing the Cecil family crest.

Early Spring Rose Care Tips

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Whether you believe it or not, growing and maintaining roses is not that difficult. Roses will keep growing and blooming even if we neglect them entirely. However, like with most things, roses benefit from a little TLC. At Biltmore, we take a proactive approach to gardening – with roses in particular. Most of the efforts you make in caring for your roses in early spring will mean fewer problems during the growing season. Here are a few tips from Biltmore's rose garden experts!

1. Prune starting in late March, or when Forsythia starts to bloom. Any earlier before the leaf buds swell and you’re chancing it should a late freeze come along.

2. Start with simple clean-up: Remove deadwood, diseased or damaged canes. Then, thin out the branches as needed to promote air flow and new growth. Remove crossing canes.

3. When temperatures are right, remove any excess soil, mulch, leaves and debris you used to protect bushes in winter. This allows for much needed sunlight on the plant to force new canes from the base.

4. Once buds start to open, apply fertilizer to bushes. Try a mix of one half-cup of cottonseed meal, a half-cup of bone meal and blood meal, and ¼ cup of Epsom salts for each plant. That gives your roses a little kick-start for the season.

With roses being a part of Biltmore's culture since Olmsted's original design and hosting the International Rose Trials since 2011, our garden crew knows a thing or two about proper rose care. Comment with your questions below, or share photos of your roses on Biltmore's social media pages!  

Photo: 2014 winner George & Edith Vanderbilt Award for Most Outstanding Rose Of The Trials (Best in Show) “Miracle On The Hudson,” bred by Robert Neil Rippetoe of California

Etched in stone: the façade of Biltmore House

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George Vanderbilt and his architect Richard Morris Hunt put careful consideration into each material used to construct Biltmore House. While the underlying walls are brick, the architect chose to add a striking warm stone façade of the house: a layer of limestone from the Hallowell Quarry in Indiana, the country’s richest quarry at the time and the same source for the stone used in Chicago’s 1885 City Hall.

Between February 1891 and February 1892, 287 train cars left Indiana carrying the limestone that would become Biltmore’s façade. Once it came into the depot in Biltmore Village, the stone was transported to the construction site by a narrow-gauge railroad track built specifically for that purpose. The first shipment arrived at the house on March 16, 1891.

Limestone blocks were stored in sheds and protected from the weather until they were ready to be cut and carved. To achieve the texture seen on the house today, the blocks were tooled by hand through a  process called crandalling. Skilled stonecutters cut shallow grooves into the surface of the stone, resulting in a fine, pebble-like surface that looks more elegant and reflects light more dramatically than unaltered limestone.

Once ready, the limestone blocks were lifted into place using wooden derricks powered by hand-drive, geared winches. The first block of stone was put in place in the west garden wall on June 8, 1891.

Although there’s no exact final count, estimates indicate that when the construction was complete, around 60,000 cubic feet of limestone adding up to 5,000 tons had been used in the project. The surface as it’s seen today reflects the beautiful effects of aging in the elements for more than 120 years.

Archival photo of some of the workers and a steam engine that built America's Largest Home

Top: Stonemasons’ shed, 1892, with Biltmore House under construction in the background.

Bottom: Workers and a steam engine on the Esplanade, 1892. Indiana limestone was shipped by rail directly to the Biltmore House building site.

A special bond

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Chauncey Delos Beadle began working at Biltmore as nursery supervisor under the direction of Frederick Law Olmsted in 1890—five years before Biltmore House and its surrounding gardens were completed. Beadle, who said he came to Biltmore for a month and stayed for a lifetime, lovingly supervised the estate grounds until 1950.

Chauncey Beadle, ca. 1906
Chauncey Beadle, ca. 1906

Ten years after arriving at Biltmore, Beadle and the other staff members helped George and Edith Vanderbilt welcome the arrival of their only child—a daughter named Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt. Later that same year, a cucumber magnolia tree (Magnolia acuminate) was planted in the child’s honor in the area of the estate that would come to be known as the Azalea Garden. According to one newspaper account,

The spot selected is in a beautiful grassy dell near Biltmore House. The tree itself, now but a sapling of twelve feet in height, is expected to be 60 feet above the ground when little Cornelia reaches the age of 20 years. A few years after that event, it is expected that it will reach a height of 100 feet. It lives centuries, and is one of the prides of our beautiful southern forests. 

A special bond

As a young girl, Cornelia developed a special bond with Beadle. He had become estate superintendent and was now responsible for the overall business management of the estate, as well as many of the Vanderbilts’ personal affairs—but he was also a trained botanist and horticulturalist who encouraged Cornelia to take an interest in plants and flowers from a very young age. Together, they undertook such activities as planting a flower garden for the child to tend.

When Cornelia was away travelling with her parents, Beadle wrote letters detailing the garden’s growth and often included pressed flowers for her enjoyment.

Here are excerpts from the charming letters Beadle wrote to Cornelia just before her sixth and seventh birthdays:

August 17, 1906 – To Cornelia in Paris, France:

“I promised you just as you were leaving Biltmore to send you some pressed flowers from your garden, that you may see some of the results of the seeds we planted last spring. Almost all of the seeds grew and thrived and, in particular, I wish you could have seen some large double sunflowers as large as breakfast plates … They were so large that I could not press them and I fear that before your return they will have faded and gone. The little package which I am sending you, however, contains some of the smaller flowers that were easily pressed and, perhaps, before your home-coming, I can send you another lot so that you may be able to enjoy the garden even though you were in Europe…”

August 14, 1907 – To Cornelia at Point D’ Acadie, the Vanderbilt’s home in Bar Harbor, Maine:

“I have sent you by mail a package containing a number of pressed flowers from your garden which you painstakingly planted and watered. Very many of the plants have made a splendid showing… In the package you will find handsome Larkspurs of various shades and mottled colors… and several other flowers that were in blossom…. You will find the names of the flowers written on the inside of the sheets of paper which contain them, and I am very sure that you will soon know them all by name and will be able to recognize them wherever you may see them growing…”

Keeping up a correspondence

George Vanderbilt passed away unexpectedly in 1914, and Edith and Cornelia began spending more time in Washington, DC where Cornelia attended The Madeira School. Beadle continued corresponding with the pair through the years, bringing Edith up-to-date on estate business and describing the gardens in great detail so both ladies could enjoy them even when they were far from home.

In a letter dated April 14, 1922, Beadle wrote to Cornelia,

“The tulips in the walled garden are so glorious that we are trying out an experiment of sending you a box today by express for Easter. We shall hope they will bring you something of their original beauty and charm to make Easter even more wonderful. Spring is very much advanced here, even the yellow rambler roses are opening.”

Beadle’s gift

In 1923, Cornelia met the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil, a British diplomat who had been transferred to Washington, DC after posts in Egypt, Spain and Czechoslovakia. John Cecil came from a very prominent British family, and was a direct descendant of William Cecil, the first Lord Burghley, who served Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Cornelia and John announced their engagement later that year, and set a wedding date for April 29, 1924. Although Beadle was in Florida and unable to return for their wedding, he sent a very special gift that commemorated their mutual love of the natural world: fresh orange blossoms from his own garden. Our archival records indicate that Cornelia placed some of the fragrant flowers on her veil and also decorated the toe of each of her wedding slippers with a single, perfect blossom.

Cornelia Vanderbilt’s wedding portrait upon her marriage to John Francis Amherst Cecil, April 1924
Cornelia Vanderbilt’s wedding portrait upon her marriage to John Francis Amherst Cecil, April 1924

Images

Top: Chauncey Beadle at Biltmore in 1906

Middle: Cornelia Vanderbilt photograph; 1904

Bottom: Cornelia in her wedding dress at the bottom of the Grand Staircase in Biltmore House

Craftsmen add their expertise to Dressing Downton exhibition

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Dressing Downton™ has ended. Please enjoy this archived content.

As you marvel at the costumes in the Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times™ exhibition, take a moment to look at details of the displays in Biltmore House.

What? You haven’t notice the light boxes and display stands for the exhibition labels?

That’s probably because each piece was custom made by Biltmore’s Facility Services and carpentry crews, using their years of experience to craft these items specifically to blend into the beautiful surroundings.

Biltmore is fortunate to have craftsmen of all trades who develop invaluable knowledge of the house’s inner workings and take pride in matching their work to the exquisite level of detail found throughout Biltmore House.

To host the Dressing Downton™ exhibition required display stands for the costume labels, light boxes to house illumination, and bases for the mannequins. All pieces were made from red oak, then stained with a custom hand-mixed blend of two colors to provide the classic look found in the house’s woodwork.Downton costumes illuminated in the Banquet Hall

Because all of the pieces were made in-house by carpenters Benny Reed, Jason Pleva, and Larry Carver, they include special handcrafted elements. The display stands alone contain 11 pieces, with each piece being hand-milled, sanded, stained, and sealed with polyurethane.

The light boxes are adjustable to provide optimum light, and feature additional woodwork to conceal cords. Mannequin bases are designed to make the task of dusting easier for Biltmore’s housekeeping staff, and the feet on the display stands were modified so they could stand flush against the walls in Biltmore House.

But the crew’s work didn’t end with assembling the pieces. They also installed the lights within the light boxes and the display stands.

“We saved the estate money and made the pieces easier to set up and operate,” said Benny Reed, Lead Carpenter.

While the crew usually doesn’t take time to see their creations in use, this time they are pausing long enough to admire their work.

“We usually move straight on from one project to the next, but this time we’re all going to see the exhibition set up in Biltmore House. We’re going to see our project in place and appreciate our accomplishments,” said Bobby Wright, Construction Trades Manager.

Photos

Top and center: Downton costumes illuminated in the Banquet Hall.

Bottom: Members of Biltmore’s Construction Trades team: Bobby Wright, Benny Reed, Larry Carver, Tim Hawkins, Willie Wolfe, Jason Pleva, Brandon Rice, Randy Ownsbey, Dewayne Williams, and Jimmy Davis. Not shown: Vince Helton.

Members of Biltmore's Construction Trades team

7 Tips for Making Fresh Cut Flowers Last

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Cathy Barnhardt, Floral Displays Manager, has spent 35 years at Biltmore and is nationally known for her work. She began her career in the estate’s greenhouse, but now handles everything “Christmas at Biltmore.” With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Cathy shared some tips and tricks she has used over the years to make floral arrangements last as long as possible.

1. Be sure that there is no foliage below the water level of the vase or pushed into a block of floral foam. Soft tissues will decompose quickly and foul the water. Some flowers such as gypsophilia (baby’s breath), or snapdragons decompose very rapidly and require fresh water daily. The water in a vase should be clear, never cloudy, which indicates bacterial growth.

2. Change the water daily if possible for the greatest vase life of your materials. If it is not feasible to change the water daily, then it is important that you check the arrangement frequently and “top off” the water. The woodier stemmed and hollow stemmed materials are generally the heaviest drinkers, and should be checked daily.

3. Direct sunlight and heat or drafts will shorten the life of your arrangement. Place arrangements with this in mind. 

4. Don’t put your arrangement in a heavily air conditioned room to “keep it fresh.” The air conditioning can dehydrate the materials.

5. Do not mist arrangements in place. Misting can cause some flowers to wilt as it draws the moisture from within the petals to the surface where it evaporates. Misting may cause spots on some blossoms and will certainly damage furniture finishes, paint, or woodworking.

6. Pinch off faded or wilted blooms to encourage newer ones to open.

7. If a flower wilts, you may try filling the sink with warm (not hot) water, submerge the entire flower briefly and then re-cut the stems under water.  Leave the flowers standing in the warm water for half an hour, and then rearrange in cool water.

A fashionable lady

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From her debutante days onward, Edith Vanderbilt was a fashionable lady who enjoyed wearing some of the most elegant styles designed by the exclusive fashion houses of the era.

Standing portrait of Edith(Right) Standing portrait

In the late 1800s, standing portraits like this one were popular because a standing pose allowed a lady to display all the details of her beautiful costume to best advantage! Note the extraordinary length of lace falling from the delicate floral trim at Edith's shoulders (the floral design is also echoed in her sweeping skirt) and the height of her feathered hair ornament.

Young Edith

(Left) 1900

As a young mother, Edith Vanderbilt's style of dress reflected a bit more restraint than her glamorous debutante and engagement gowns, but there were still rich layers of details to keep the style engaging. Notice the striking combination of Edith's elegant sleeves layered in stripes and dots, the lavish lace bow at her throat, and the dangling brooch pinned to her bodice.

Edith wearing a locally created suit

(Right) March 1907

On this date, the New York Times featured a front-page story on Edith Vanderbilt wearing a gown of mountain homespun cloth woven by artisans who worked for Biltmore Industries–a business the Vanderbilts developed to provide economic support for local crafters in the community. Edith Vanderbilt always chose examples of current styles to flatter her tall, slim figure, and this sleek suit is no exception. In addition to enjoying the elegant ensemble, Edith used it as an attractive tool to help influence her social connections and push sales of Biltmore Industries merchandise.

Edith in 20s fashion

(Left) A fashionable lady

Throughout her life, Edith Vanderbilt would continue to be celebrateded for her fashion sense and good taste. 

(Top) Featured blog image 

A 1911 portrait of Edith Vanderbilt painted by Italian artist Giovanni Boldini, known for his glamorous renderings of notable members of society. This portrait hangs in the Tapestry Gallery at Biltmore House, just outside the entrance to the Library.