An April Engagement Brings a Biltmore Legacy

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Please enjoy this archived content. Our Fashionable Romance exhibition was on display from February 2016 through July 2016.

If April showers bring May flowers, what do April engagements bring to Biltmore? For George Washington Vanderbilt, April 1898 brought his engagement to Edith Stuyvesant Dresser. That, in turn, brought about two wedding ceremonies: the first being the couple’s civil service on June 1, performed by the mayor of Paris at the Town Hall of the Eighth District in the Rue Anjou.

Mary Lee Ryan Cecil’s wedding gown on display at The Biltmore Legacy (left)
Mary Lee Ryan Cecil’s wedding gown on display at The Biltmore Legacy (left)

Another wedding

At noon the next day, George and Edith were wed in a religious ceremony at the American Church of the Holy Trinity. Afterward, the newlyweds, along with family and friends, returned to Edith’s apartment on Rue Vernet for a reception that included two bottles of champagne set aside for the occasion 24 years earlier–at Edith’s birth–by her maternal grandfather.

Following an extended honeymoon in Europe, the couple took up residence at Biltmore House, beginning their legacy of gracious hospitality that continues to delight our guests today.

Wedding gown and veil of Mary Lee Ryan Cecil.
Wedding gown and veil of Mary Lee Ryan Cecil.

Fashionable Romance

In honor of the Vanderbilts and their descendants, The Biltmore Legacy in Antler Hill Village is currently hosting the Fashionable Romance Exhibition which features all the beautiful details and descriptions of 60 years of family weddings. You’ll discover stories of “Cupid’s richest captive” as the newspapers of the day dubbed George Vanderbilt and his marriage to Edith Stuyvesant Dresser–a “very charming and accomplished girl.”

Original satin pumps worn by Cornelia Vanderbilt at her wedding to John Cecil.
Original satin pumps worn by Cornelia Vanderbilt at her wedding to John Cecil.

Other exhibition highlights include the stunning re-creation of the gown Cornelia Vanderbilt wore for her 1924 marriage to the Honorable John Cecil, and the glamorous 1950s wedding dress and exquisite Lee family veil worn by Mary Lee Ryan when she married George Vanderbilt’s grandson William Cecil. The heirloom veil was also worn by Mary Ryan’s first cousin Jacqueline Bouvier when she married future President John F. Kennedy in 1953.

Planning your own group event or fairytale wedding or Biltmore engagement? The gardens and grounds of America’s Largest Home® can provide the perfect setting for your special day!

Inside Biltmore Blooms: Balancing Books and Blossoms

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Each spring, our floral team is tasked with creating imaginative displays throughout America’s Largest Home® in honor of Biltmore Blooms. This year’s theme is “Celebration of Flowers,” highlighting Vanderbilt family celebrations. However, as Biltmore Blooms is coinciding with Designed for Drama: Fashion from the Classics, our new exhibition inspired by George Vanderbilt’s love of literature, you may also notice another motif in the decorative arrangements: books.

Designed for Drama Book Tornado

The floral design in the Entrance Hall during Biltmore Blooms often introduces the theme for each event and exhibition, and this spring is no exception. The most notable element is a massive swirl of natural dried honeysuckle vines, somewhat resembling a tornado, suspended over the table. Amid the faux and dried flowers are printed pages and books from local thrift stores that appear to be flying.

“We hope this feature might suggest to our guests that the books and the knowledge they represent can become creative inspiration—something much greater than ‘just a book,’” explains Cathy Barnhardt, Floral Displays manager.

Beneath the beautiful whirlwind, the Entrance Hall table is covered with an eclectic collection of ferns and orchids—the same flower that adorned Cornelia Vanderbilt’s 25th birthday celebration—as well as glass cloches and vases, magnifying glasses, and books, bringing together both themes of the season in a seamless fashion to celebrate Biltmore Blooms.

Anchoring the table display is a large Wardian case with even more orchids inside. The petite glass greenhouse gives the display a whimsical feel, but it also serves as a nod to the delicate flower’s unique history. In the early 1800s, orchids and other exotic plants were shipped from the tropics in protective Wardian cases to make their European debut.

“The table décor suggests that George Vanderbilt’s love of books and knowledge came together with his love of home and gardens to create Biltmore,” says Cathy.

Join us this spring as we celebrate Biltmore Blooms and Designed for Drama with this breathtaking display and more.

Literary Guests of Biltmore House

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While we aren’t sure exactly when they met, George Vanderbilt and author Edith Wharton likely knew each other most of their lives. Both were born into New York society in 1862 and both moved in the same social circles.

Thanks to the Biltmore House guest book, we know that Wharton visited the estate at least twice: once in November 1902 and again around Christmas 1905.

On December 26, 1905, she wrote from Biltmore to her friend Sara Norton, describing the Vanderbilts’ gracious hospitality:

“Yesterday we had a big Xmas fete for the 350 people on the estate – a tree 30 ft. high, Punch & Judy, conjuror, presents & “refreshments.” It would have interested you, it was done so well & sympathetically, each person’s wants being thought of, from mother to last baby.”

From The Letters of Edith Wharton

During this visit, she signed a copy of her recently completed novel, The House of Mirth:

“To George Vanderbilt from Edith Wharton, Biltmore House, Christmas 1905.”

The House of Mirth later became entry #2,163 in George’s “Books I Have Read” journal series.

In the Biltmore archives, there are a handful of letters from Wharton to George. While many of the letters discuss Wharton subletting the Vanderbilts’ apartment on the Left Bank in Paris from 1907 to 1910, one of them stands out from the rest.

On March 25, 1913, Wharton wrote George regarding a 70th birthday gift for Henry James, author of The Portrait of a Lady. She was sending word of a circular and a collection of money for James to purchase whatever gift he wanted.

But a gift was never purchased. James found out about the collection prematurely and refused it.

Coincidentally, James, who was also a friend of George Vanderbilt’s, stayed at Biltmore—in the winter of 1905, around the same time as Wharton.

George Vanderbilt: One of the Best Read Men in the Country

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While other members of the Vanderbilt family were recognized for their lavish parties or successes in the stock market, when it came to George Vanderbilt, the press instead focused on his love of learning and, more specifically, his preoccupation with reading.

A turn-of-the-century New York journalist wrote of the youngest Vanderbilt:

“He was a bookworm, a student… And his love of books came all from his own inner consciousness, for he was not graduated from any college, and his education, while not neglected, had not been carried beyond the ordinary limits of high schools, though now, I doubt not, he is one of the best read men in the country.”

Let’s take a look at a few items in the Biltmore House collection that speak to George Vanderbilt’s passions for reading and books.

Birthday Gift from Mama

For George Vanderbilt’s ninth birthday, his mother, Maria Louisa Vanderbilt, gave him three volumes from Reverend Elijah Kellogg, Jr.’s Elm Island Series and within each, she inscribed “George from Mama Nov. 14th 1871.” 

Thanks to this special gift set, we gleam that George was interested in reading at a young age.

Portrait by John Singer Sargent

As his interest turned to passion with age, George’s love of books became more prominent.

One example of this is his 1890 portrait by John Singer Sargent, one of the most celebrated society portraitists of his time. In it, George holds a book in his right hand.

The portrait hangs in the Tapestry Gallery, above the door leading into the Library.

Bust by Mary Grant

Another example of the prominence of this passion is a bust of George by Scottish artist Mary Grant.

Appropriately displayed in the Library, the bronze sculpture shows George Vanderbilt with his left elbow and right hand resting on a stack of two volumes.

This bust is one of four by Grant in the Biltmore House collection.

Biltmore House Bookplate

Designed by George Vanderbilt himself and engraved by Edwin Davis French, the Biltmore House bookplate is found in nearly all of the books in the Library.

The oil lamp motif featured in the center symbolizes the eternal quest for knowledge and enlightenment.

The surrounding Latin inscription, “Quaero Ex Libris Biltmoris,” may be translated, “Inquire in the books of Biltmore.”

“Books I Have Read”

Finally, the most definitive testament to George’s love of reading in the Biltmore House collection: his journal series titled “Books I Have Read.”

George began logging works and authors at the age of 12 and continued the habit until his death in 1914. 

He ultimately logged 3,159 books, which means he read an average of 81 books each year, or about a book and half per week.

The last entry was the third volume of Henry Adams’ History of the United States.

We invite you to join us as we celebrate George Vanderbilt’s love of reading with more than 40 award-winning movie costumes on display throughout America’s Largest Home®, accompanied by the original books in his 22,000-volume personal collection that inspired the films. 

Feature image: One of George Vanderbilt’s “Books I Have Read” journals opened to the 1,817th entry: Richard Carvel by Winston Churchill. Right above it is George’s note about daughter Cornelia’s birth on August 22, 1900.

A Gem in George Vanderbilt’s Library

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Once termed “one of the best read men in the country” by New York media, George Vanderbilt amassed a personal library of more than 22,000 volumes at Biltmore House, each of which he selected with great care.

In honor of our upcoming Designed for Drama: Fashion from the Classics exhibition, let’s take a look at a true gem within his literary collection: George’s copy of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906), a first American edition of the book featuring illustrations by artist Arthur Rackham.

Arthur Rackham illustration 1

Peter Pan is familiar to most as the free-spirited and mischievous young boy of Neverland who can fly and never grows up.

However, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, one of Barrie’s four major works featuring the beloved character, introduces Peter at the tender age of just seven days old.

The vast majority of the book first appeared in Barrie’s The Little White Bird (1902) as a story within the story.

The popularity of The Little White Bird, thanks in large part to the several chapters involving Peter Pan, prompted Barrie to write the 1904 play Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, a wildly successful production that broke nearly all previous theatrical records.

Barrie eventually adapted the play into another, better-known novel: Peter Pan and Wendy (1911)—but not before the chapters that first introduced the character were extracted from The Little White Bird and published as Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.

While the text was slightly revised for the 1906 publication to read better without the context of the surrounding story, more significant is the addition of Rackham’s illustrations.

Arthur Rackham illustration 2

His 50 beautiful color plates helped to make the book immediately popular and drew attention to the artist, who—aside from his success with Rip Van Winkle (1905)—was relatively unknown before then.

Another notable difference is the fact that The Little White Bird was published as a novel for adult readers whereas Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens was published as a children’s book.

This fact leads us to believe that Cornelia Vanderbilt, George’s daughter who was six years old at the time, may have played a role in his decision to add the title to his collection.

Beginning February 10, George’s copy of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens will be on display in the Banquet Hall of Biltmore House, along with multiple costumes from the film Finding Neverland (2004), which tells the story of J.M. Barrie’s friendship with the family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.

Images
Feature: Arthur Rackham’s “There Now Arose a Mighty Storm” on the inside cover, and the title page of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens
Right: Rackham’s “Looking Very Undancey Indeed” from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens
​Left: Rackham’s “The Serpentine is a Lovely Lake” from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

The Right Thing at the Right Time: A Philanthropic Legacy

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Biltmore forester Carl Schenck once wrote:
“Personally, I can say that Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt detest publicity, preferring to do the right thing at the right time without beating a drum about it.”

Indeed, George and Edith Vanderbilt demonstrated an unswerving commitment to helping those less fortunate. Whether it was on the estate, within the local community, or in other parts of the country, their charitable gifts reflect their passions for literacy, education, and the arts.

Jackson Square Branch, New York Free Circulating Library, 1893.

Jackson Square Branch of the New York Public Library

George’s commitment to providing educational opportunities to all, regardless of income, began at a young age. In 1887, he hired architect Richard Morris Hunt, who later designed Biltmore House, to design and build the Jackson Square Branch of the New York Free Circulating Library System.

George paid to have the branch furnished and fully stocked with books at a time when free libraries were rare; individuals usually had to pay a fee to borrow books, which prevented many from having access.

American Fine Arts Society

In 1889, a group of young artists in New York City set out to create an organization that would provide educational and financial support to up-and-coming artists. George was one of eight initial benefactors who each donated $5,000 to what would become The American Fine Arts Society. The society’s new building opened in 1892, adjoined by a grand exhibition gallery which George built at a cost of $100,000.

Many assumed the society would then rent the gallery for exhibitions. Instead, at a celebration in the gallery on December 29, 1892, he surprised those attending by announcing he was handing over the gallery’s deed to the society as a Christmas and New Year’s gift.

“The gift of the gallery… is an example of what a public-spirited man can do if he has wealth at his disposal….He has stood by the Fine Arts Society from the start, and encouraged the triple alliance of architects, artists, and art students …” 
– The New York Times, January 1, 1893

The exhibition gallery, named The Vanderbilt Gallery in George’s honor, still exists today.

Teachers College

George was also a proponent of the Industrial Education Movement, a reform movement aimed at providing skilled teachers and schools to educate poor urban children.

Teachers College, mid 1890s

A wealthy New York socialite named Grace Dodge wanted to create a college in New York City that would not only instruct teachers on how to educate children, but also focus on psychological and emotional needs, a revolutionary concept at the time. She asked George for assistance, and he agreed to help by paying the salary of the first director of Teachers College.

George later served on the school’s Board of Trustees. In 1893, Teachers College joined forces with Columbia College (known soon after as Columbia University), and the next year, the school opened its new campus on land George donated. Teachers College, Columbia University was the first and remains the largest graduate school of education in the nation.

Young Men’s Institute

In 1892, Prof. Edward L. Stephens, principal of Asheville’s first public school for African-American students, had a vision to create an organization similar to a YMCA to support Asheville’s African-American community. He approached George, who was in the process of building Biltmore House at the time, for assistance.

George was moved by Prof. Stephens’ plans and agreed to loan the institute $32,000 to fund the construction of a building, which became known as the Young Men’s Institute. Completed in 1893, the YMI was designed by Richard Sharp Smith, who also collaborated with architect Richard Morris Hunt to create Biltmore House and other estate buildings.

Young Men’s Institute , mid 1890s

The YMI offered a variety of services to the black community, including a kindergarten, night school for adults, library, dormitory, and athletic facilities. It also served as a social and spiritual center and included commercial spaces on the ground floor. Among the early businessmen renting spaces were a doctor, pharmacist, barber, and restaurant owner.

The Young Men’s Institute is now home to the YMI Cultural Center and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Vanderbilts’ other charitable efforts include the School of Domestic Science, which Edith founded in 1901 to train young African-American women in professional housekeeping, and the Moonlight School at Biltmore Estate, founded in 1914 to teach illiterate estate workers how to read and write, among others.

Today, we continue the Vanderbilt philanthropic efforts to promote education with the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil Scholarship Fund. Established in 1995, the scholarship was created to assist the dependents of Biltmore employees with the rising costs of higher education. We also collaborate with local organizations such as Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and Eblen Charities to assist those in our community with hunger, heating, and housing needs.

Images
Top Right: Jackson Square Branch, New-York Free Circulating Library, 1893. Image from King’s Handbook of New York City, New York, 1893.
Right: Columbia Teachers College, mid 1890s
Left: Young Men’s Institute during the late stages of construction, mid 1890s

A Romantic Legacy

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William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil, the younger son of Cornelia and John F. A. Cecil, was born at Biltmore in 1928. He attended schools in England and Switzerland before serving in the British Navy. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, William worked as a banker in the international department of Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City.

It was there that he met his future wife Mary “Mimi” Lee Ryan, daughter of textile manufacturer John J. Ryan, Jr., and granddaughter of prominent New York banker, lawyer, and builder James T. Lee. Mimi received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College and her law degree from the University of Michigan. Prior to her marriage, she was an attorney with the Manhattan firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham, and Taft.

A romantic beginning

The Cecils married on October 5, 1957, at St. Vincent Ferrer’s Roman Catholic Church in New York City. The bride wore a gown of white satin with a fitted bodice and a full skirt forming a cathedral train. She carried a lush bouquet of white roses, stephanotis, and English ivy. Her veil was a family heirloom originally worn in 1903 by her maternal grandmother, Margaret Merritt Lee, and also worn by her first cousin, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, at her 1953 wedding to future U.S. President John F. Kennedy. After the ceremony, a reception was held at the elegant River Club in the city.

In 1959, the Cecils moved to Asheville, North Carolina to manage Biltmore, the grand country estate created by Mr. Cecil’s grandfather George Vanderbilt. Their two children grew up in the family business whose mission is preserving Biltmore as a privately owned, profitable working estate. Today, William Cecil, Jr. serves as Biltmore’s CEO and Diana “Dini” Cecil Pickering is president of the Family Office.

The Biltmore Legacy

Today, estate guests have an opportunity to visit The Biltmore Legacy located in Antler Hill Village and view our Fashionable Romance exhibition featuring family wedding history and heirlooms, including Mrs. Cecil’s beautiful wedding gown, subsequently worn by her daughter-in-law Virginia Cecil and her daughter Dini Pickering.

The Lee Family Veil is also displayed in the exhibition along with a stunning recreation of the gown worn by Mr. Cecil’s mother Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil and her original satin slippers. This outstanding collection of wedding-related fashion offers a rare glimpse into the lives of the fascinating family that has preserved Biltmore for generations to come.

Biltmore’s Winery: A Tradition of Evolution

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Biltmore’s Winery is the most visited in the country, producing about 150,000 cases of wine annually. Our award-winning wines are available on the estate and also distributed across the country and even online.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on how we got here. And as it turns out, the Winery’s tradition of evolution is even older than the Winery itself.

Biltmore Dairy milkman and delivery truck, 1930-1940s

The Days of Biltmore Dairy

Before it became the Winery in Antler Hill Village, the century-old structure was the main dairy barn for Biltmore Dairy. Designed by Richard Howland Hunt, son of Biltmore architect Richard Morris Hunt, and farm manager George Weston, the barn accommodated 140 cows for one of the largest dairy operations in the Southeast.

Biltmore Dairy was the most successful of all of Biltmore’s enterprises, providing the estate with a financial cushion that would see it through George Vanderbilt’s death, two world wars, the Great Depression, and beyond.

After Biltmore House opened to the public in 1930, guests could view the milking rooms and processing areas in the dairy barn, sample the milk, and buy ice cream. Biltmore Dairy was so successful and its products were so well-known that it became an attraction in its own right for estate visitors.

It was around this time that the dairy’s delivery wagons were replaced with trucks and the fleet grew from 30 vehicles to over 400 in just 15 years.

Unfortunately, the market gradually shifted and, like many other smaller, family-run businesses at the time, Biltmore Dairy became unable to compete with larger commercial operations. With the advent of chain grocery stores came a cheaper, more convenient option for consumers to purchase milk, eventually making door-to-door dairy delivery obsolete. In April of 1985, Biltmore Dairy was sold to Pet, Inc.

Philippe Jourdain, Biltmore’s first Winemaster

A New Drink, A New Day

Even before Biltmore Dairy was sold, George Vanderbilt’s grandson and Biltmore’s owner, William A.V. Cecil, was asking: “What’s more appropriate for a French château than vineyards and a winery?”

In the early 1970s, he planted the first vines on the property, just below Biltmore House, and bottled the inaugural vintage in the Conservatory basement.

Less than pleased with the product, Mr. Cecil traveled to France in search of expertise. He returned with Philippe Jourdain, Biltmore’s first Winemaster. Together, the pair moved the vineyards to their current location on the west side of the estate and established Biltmore Estate Wine Company.

Biltmore’s Winery in Antler Hill Village

Opening Biltmore’s Winery

The conversion of the dairy barn into a state-of-the-art winery began in 1983. Mr. Cecil’s son and Biltmore’s current CEO, Bill Cecil, assumed the leadership role in overseeing the renovation.

In 1985, the Winery opened to the public in what Mr. Cecil called, “the most historic event since my grandfather had opened his estate to his family on Christmas Day ninety years earlier.”

Since the opening of the Winery in Antler Hill Village, we’ve celebrated the release of new Biltmore Wines, expanded our Tasting Room, opened a Wine Bar, and developed tours featuring the Winery’s production facility and wine tastings.

Biltmore’s Winemaker, Sharon Fenchak

The Evolution Continues

French native Bernard Delille joined Biltmore as an assistant winemaker in 1986—making this year his 30th anniversary with Biltmore Estate Wine Company. Bernard was promoted to Winemaster and Vice President of the Winery when Philippe retired in 1995.

Sharon Fenchak joined the team a few years later and now serves as Biltmore’s Winemaker. Her research in grape-growing technology and wine production methods in combination with Bernard’s traditional and artistic perspective proved to be a perfect combination for the Winery. Sales have continued to grow and retail distribution has since expanded.

Indeed, the evolution continues, while at the same time, throughout the dynamic history of the Winery, Biltmore’s winemaking philosophy holds: “To keep each wine true to varietal character, food-friendly, and consistent from vintage to vintage.” 

We invite you to enjoy the fruits of our labors by visiting our estate winery during your next visit, shopping for our award-winning wines online, or finding a retailer near you that carries Biltmore Wines.

Coming home to Biltmore

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The fate of George Vanderbilt’s visionary estate featuring Biltmore House set like a jewel amidst a breathtaking landscape might have been very different if Mr. Vanderbilt’s grandson William A.V. Cecil had not returned to Asheville to take on the management of America’s largest home and all that it entailed.

The Cecils open Biltmore House to the public in 1930

The white elephant

After Biltmore House was opened for public viewing in 1930, it became a well-known attraction in the southeast. By the late 50s, however, the numbers of visitors were dwindling and a decision had to be made: sell the property and turn what many considered a “white elephant” into a state or national historic trust—or find a way to preserve the estate and put it back on its feet financially.

Against most well-meaning advice, Mr. Cecil decided to leave his successful career with Chase-Manhattan Bank in Washington, DC and return to his birthplace to see what he could make of it. According to Howard Covington’s book Lady on the Hill,

“Cecil brought a fresh and appreciative perspective to Biltmore. He saw the chateau not with the eye of a curator hired to present and explain a historic property but as a devoted family member who was proud of what his grandfather had left for him and others to enjoy. Like his father before him, William believed that visitors should be made to feel like guests rather than ticket holders and should be welcomed warmly and treated with courtesy.”

Recovery begins

Mr. Cecil continues to experiment with new projectsTo attract the numbers of guests needed to make the venture successful, Mr. Cecil had to become a one-man marketing department to promote Biltmore House and Gardens to the public. He was more than equal to the challenge, and in the summer of 1960, Biltmore welcomed its one-millionth visitor since tickets were first made available 30 years earlier. The growth was important for the success of Biltmore, because the dairy operation that had sustained the estate for many years was becoming less profitable in the face of new regulations and increased competition.
 

The legacy continues

Mr. Cecil with wine barrels

Now nearly six decades later, Biltmore welcomes more than one million guests annually, and the estate is a glowing tribute to George Vanderbilt’s original vision, the groundbreaking work of his grandson William Cecil, and the Cecil family’s continued commitment to their mission of preserving Biltmore as a privately owned, profitable, working estate. The property includes Antler Hill Village, which features the award-winning Winery and Antler Hill Farm; the four-star Inn on Biltmore Estate; Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate; Equestrian Center; numerous restaurants; event and meeting venues; and Biltmore For Your Home, the company’s licensed products division.

 

Featured image: William A.V. Cecil in front of Biltmore House, circa 1980s

Right: Cornelia and John Cecil open Biltmore House to the public in 1930

Left: William Cecil works discusses the possibilities of raising prawns at Biltmore, circa 1980s

Right:  William Cecil in the winery he envisioned, circa 1985

Packages of Pressed Flowers

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Cornelia Stuyvesant Vanderbilt, George and Edith Vanderbilt’s only child, was born in August 1900. And with her arrival, Biltmore Superintendent Chauncey Beadle soon found himself nurturing the young girl with the same tenderness and care with which he nurtured the flora of the estate.

A Little Girl's Garden

Before Cornelia was born, Beadle and Edith shared a mutual love of flowers. While travelling, Edith often wrote Beadle about the plants she had seen and admired, asking if they could be planted at Biltmore. Beadle would write Edith, asking her to name new varieties of flowers that he had developed.Chauncey Beadle, 1906

After Cornelia was born, Beadle helped the young girl to cultivate that love as well. The pair spent much time together, exploring the outdoors and enjoying nature’s beauty. A trained botanist and horticulturalist, Beadle personally assisted Cornelia in planting and caring for her own flower garden.

While the exact location of Cornelia’s garden is unknown, it was most likely near one of the borders of the Walled Garden, if not closer to the house, according to Bill Alexander, Biltmore’s Landscape and Forest Historian.

Blooms Abroad

When Cornelia was travelling with her parents, Beadle wrote letters detailing her garden’s growth. He would also often include pressed flowers so that she could enjoy the colorful blooms. Here are excerpts from the charming letters Beadle wrote to Cornelia just before her sixth and seventh birthdays:

Cornelia Vanderbilt, 1906August 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…”

A Continued Correspondence

George Vanderbilt passed away unexpectedly in 1914 and Edith 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.

Thanks to their mutual fondness of flowers, Edith and Cornelia Vanderbilt remained connected with Beadle through the superintendent’s retirement and beyond. Experience the beautiful blooms that were the basis for this bond, flowers lovely enough to be pressed, packaged, and shared. Visit Biltmore House & Gardens and see what’s blooming now.

Images
Featured: Portrait of Edith and Cornelia Vanderbilt, 1906
Right: Chauncey Beadle, 1906
Left: Cornelia Vanderbilt, 1906