6 Biltmore Rooms Named After Artists

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Vanderbilt was an avid print collector who purchased more than 1,400 prints in his lifetime. Not only did he have personal friendships with leading artists of the era, he even named some of the rooms in his home after artists where their work was on display. Below are just a few of the rooms inside Biltmore House with names inspired by artists and how guests can see these on their tour.

Claude Room

This room was named after one of George Vanderbilt’s favorite artists, the French painter Claude Lorrain. One of the masters of 17th-century landscape painting, Claude presented nature as harmonious, serene, and often majestic. The prints on this room’s walls are after Claude Lorrain’s paintings. (See it on the winter tour rotation.)

The striking wallpaper in the Claude Room, reproduced from the original, is the same pattern that is used in the Damask Room, but in a different color palette.
The striking wallpaper in the Claude Room, reproduced from the original, is the same pattern that is used in the Damask Room, but in a different color palette.

Earlom Room

This room was named for the English engraver Richard Earlom. Vanderbilt purchased most of the prints in this room and in his collection from H. Wunderlich and Company in New York. (See it on the Upstairs-Downstairs tour.)

Raphael Room

Highly detailed engravings after the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael Sanzio d’Urbino add interest to the room’s understated décor. (See it on the Upstairs-Downstairs tour.)

Morland Room

Named for the English painter George Morland, this bedroom attracts attention with exotic Indian-style fabrics. The bed draperies are exact reproductions of hand-painted originals that adorned the Italian villa where George and Edith Vanderbilt honeymooned in 1898. (See it on the summer tour rotation.)

Van Dyck Room

Decorated in the Colonial revival style of the late 19th century, this room features prints after paintings by the 17th-century artist Anthony Van Dyck. (See it on the summer tour rotation.)

Watson Room

This room was named for the engraver James Watson. A close-up of his 1769 mezzotint after a painting by Francis Cotesand is the top photo in this blog. Fun fact: This room is the only bedroom with twin beds. (See it on the summer tour rotation.)

A Great Camp in the Great Outdoors

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In the late 1800s, it was fashionable for families like the Vanderbilts to have a getaway “great camp” or lodge in the Adirondacks so that they could enjoy outdoor activities such as  fishing, hunting, and boating. With Biltmore House complete, George Vanderbilt was able to focus on creating a similar getaway lodge so that family and friends could enjoy the beautiful, remote wilderness that comprised much of his 125,000-acre estate in Western North Carolina. Photo above of Buckspring Lodge, ca. 1920; donated by Mrs. William Todd Ashby.

Buckspring porch

Richard Howland Hunt (son of Biltmore architect Richard Morris Hunt) designed such a camp structure completed in 1896 and named Buckspring Lodge. Located on Mount Pisgah about 20 miles from Biltmore, the lodge was made from chestnut, yellow poplar, and hemlock logs and consisted of three connected buildings; a main lodge, kitchen, and dining building. Later, an assistant ranger's house was built in 1900, with a stable and additional four-room house added in 1903. Perched on the side of the mountain, Buckspring Lodge afforded guests spectacular views of the pristine wilderness. Photo above, ca. 1920; donated by Mrs. William Todd Ashby.

Buckspring fireplace
In today’s terms, Buckspring Lodge would probably be described as “rustic elegant” in design. Inside, there were wood-burning fireplaces. Eventually the lodge was equipped with electricity, telephone service, indoor plumbing, and hot water, all powered by onsite sources. Outside, there was an orchard, tennis and croquet courts, garden, and beehives. In the summers, sheep grazed on the open land at this high elevation, and a Jersey cow was sometimes kept here when the Vanderbilts were in residence. Photo above, ca. 1920; donated by Mrs. William Todd Ashby.

Buckspring exterior

In 1910, a major construction project was undertaken to build a road from Stoney Fork in the Hominy Valley west of Asheville to Buckspring Lodge so it could be accessed by motor vehicle. Mr. Vanderbilt purchased the old Stoney Fork log school and church building in 1911, and had it rebuilt at the lodge for a guest house that later became known as the “Honeymoon Cottage.” In 1912, a log cabin knowns as the ranger's house was erected with hewn logs from three cabins located on Vanderbilt property elsewhere. A full-time ranger and caretaker lived at Buckspring, and a cook and other staff came to stay while the family was at the lodge.

​After George Vanderbilt’s death in 1914, Edith sold around 90,000 acres of land to the U.S. government for the creation of Pisgah National Forest. But she retained Buckspring Lodge and nearly 500 acres surrounding it, and the family continued to enjoy this retreat for decades. When the Blue Ridge Parkway was being developed in the 1950s, Buckspring Lodge and its surrounding property was sold to the state of North Carolina and then transferred to the U.S. Department of the Interior to be incorporated in the Parkway property.

Restoration of the lodge proved to be too costly for the Park Service, and it was razed in 1961. Robert C. (Bob) Allen procured logs and materials from the Ranger's Cabin and erected a log cabin in Asheville's Royal Pines neighborhood in the early 1960s. The Allen family, represented by Ernest H. Allen and his sons, Bob and William E. (Bill) Allen, were  longtime estate residents. Ernest and Bill both served as farm managers for decades and Bob drove a truck for Biltmore Dairy. Bob and his wife Phyllis lived in the Royal Pines cabine until his death in 1990. Upon Phyllis’ passing in 2014, Bob’s children Dick and Susie Allen inherited this historic cabin and contributed it, plus many furnishings, to Biltmore in memory of the Allen family.

 

Outdoor Adventure CenterIn 2015, Biltmore dismantled the cabin and carefully reassembled it piece-by-piece on the estate. It now serves as the Outdoor Adventure Center in Antler Hill Village, where guests can arrange outdoor activities including fly-fishing lessons, trail rides, Segway rides, and much more. Stop by to see this cherished part of Biltmore’s history, and plan your own adventures in our 8,000-acre backyard.

Wedding gowns fit for a queen

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From Queen Victoria to Princess Diana to the Duchess of Cambridge, royal wedding dresses have set fashion styles for nearly 200 years—everything from the color of the gown itself to flowers.

Several examples of royal attire as portrayed in movies are included in our exhibition, Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film, including Queen Elizabeth’s 1923 gown and Wallis Simpson’s famous 1937 dress. Let’s take a look at the famous royals whose gowns have left their mark on the fashion scene. 

FEBRUARY 10, 1840
Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert at the Chapel Royal, St. James’ Palace in London.

In the mid-1800s, white was the color of mourning; red was a more popular color for weddings, which made it remarkable when Britain’s young queen wore a white dress for her ceremony. Details of Queen Victoria’s bridal ensemble were publicized in newspapers and in souvenirs, widely reinforcing the idea that wedding gowns—particularly for European and American brides—should be white.

Victoria’s silk satin court dress was embellished with British lace, establishing the tradition of supporting local manufacturers that royal British brides still follow. Instead of a crown, she wore a wreath of artificial orange blossoms with her lace veil, which also set the standard for generations of brides to come. See a painting of Queen Victoria in her wedding dress from the Royal Collection Trust.

APRIL 26, 1923
Albert, Duke of York (later George VI) marries Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey in London.

Best known today as the Queen Mother who died in 2002 at the age of 102, Lady Elizabeth’s wedding gown and veil were very much in the style of the 1920s; Vogue magazine described her gown as ivory chiffon moiré with bands of silver lame embroidered with seed pearls suggesting an Italian medieval robe. The way she wore her veil—combined with a wreath in a capped fashion—was on trend for the decade, which can also be seen in Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil’s 1924 wedding photographs. See the Duchess of York’s official wedding portrait from the Royal Collection Trust.

Lady Elizabeth’s wedding also started three traditions for British royal brides:

  • On her way to the altar at Westminster Abbey, she left her bouquet of white roses and heather at the grave of the Unknown Warrior in memory of her brother, who was killed in World War I. Though her gesture was spontaneous, each royal bride since has left her bouquet at the tomb after the ceremony to honor the fallen.
  • Her wedding ring was made of Welsh gold—cherished due to its scarcity—given to the couple by the people of Wales; this tradition has continued through three generations.
  • Prior to Elizabeth and Albert’s 1923 wedding, royal ceremonies were private. Their wedding, however, was filmed in detail and shown in newsreels around the world, starting a fashion for royal wedding media coverage that continues today.

JUNE 3, 1937
The Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson at the Château de Candé, Monts, France.

American socialite Wallis Simpson created the craze for her signature color “Wallis blue” when she married the former Edward VIII, who gave up the throne for his love. The nipped-at-the-waist dress and jacket created by Mainbocher reportedly was colored to match her eyes, and the ensemble showcased the designer’s incredible attention to detail; even the matching gloves created from the same blue silk crepe were specifically designed to accommodate her wedding ring. The Duchess of Windsor, known for fabulous jewelry and designer clothing, later donated her wedding dress and jacket to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Unfortunately, the dye has faded over time, causing the dress to lose its famous “Wallis blue” color.

NOVEMBER 20, 1947
Princess Elizabeth marries Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey in London.

British couturier Norman Hartnell was selected for the prestigious commission of designing the wedding dress for the future Queen. Post-World War II shortages meant Princess Elizabeth had to purchase material for her gown using ration coupons.

Hartnell’s design blended formality and youth in a satin dress and 15-foot circular court train. The skirt was embroidered with traditional floral motifs and decorated with crystals and 10,000 seed pearls imported from the U.S. See the official wedding portrait from the Royal Collection Trust.

 Elizabeth’s wedding dress has been seen as inspiration for both Grace Kelly’s gown worn at her 1956 marriage to Prince Albert of Monaco as well as Catherine Middleton’s gown worn at her 2011 marriage to Prince William.

APRIL 18, 1956
Prince Rainier III marries Grace Kelly in Monaco.

As befitting her position as one of Hollywood’s leading ladies before becoming Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco, Grace Kelly’s extravagant wedding gown was designed by Helen Rose, costume designer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and sewn by the MGM wardrobe department in California.

The wedding itself was one of the first big royal media events. Prince Rainier gave MGM permission to film the ceremony, which was reportedly watched by 30 million worldwide at a time when many homes did not even have a television. More than 1,500 reporters arrived to cover the wedding—more than covered all of World War II—overwhelming the principality’s population of 23,000. Prince Rainier had to call in the French riot police to maintain order.

Grace’s dress for the religious ceremony is considered one of the most elegant bridal gowns in the past century. It was handmade from 125-year-old Brussels rose point lace, silk taffeta, peau de soie, tulle, and seed pearls; its high neck, lace fitted bodice, and pleated waist were major influences on bridal designs of the era. Three petticoats gave the bell-shaped billowing skirt its distinctive look. Her tulle veil measured 90 yards, and was attached to a Juliet cap adorned with seed pearls and orange blossoms.

Princess Grace donated her gown to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1956, where it was displayed during a 2006 exhibition. Elements from the dress are thought to be inspiration for Catherine Middleton’s bridal gown worn at her 2011 marriage to Prince William as well as for numerous fashion designers, including the Marchesa 2015 spring bridal collection.

JULY 29, 1981
Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

No question—when you think of iconic wedding dresses of the past century, the future Princess of Wales immediately comes to mind. Her gown successfully transformed the young Lady Diana Spencer into a fairytale princess. 

Lady Diana’s dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who wanted to make the most of the royal wedding’s worldwide spotlight; estimates put the television audience at 500 million viewers. Their creation featured a full skirt and sleeves of ivory silk taffeta, with a double-ruffled collar of pearl-encrusted lace over taffeta. But the centerpiece was the longest train in royal history—25 feet of British silk taffeta, tulle, and netting edged with beaded lace. Diana’s romantic appearance inspired wedding dresses for nearly a decade until taste shifted to slimmer silhouettes.

APRIL 29, 2011
Prince William marries Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in London.

The dress that the future Duchess of Cambridge wore at her wedding to Prince William in 2011 remains a favorite with brides. According to published reports, Kate Middleton expressed her desire to combine modernity with tradition in her gown, designed by British designer Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.

The result was an exquisite ivory and white satin ballgown dress featuring a fitted waist, long lace sleeves, and floral motifs adorned with hand-appliqued British and French lace. The flowing skirt had soft pleats and a nine-foot train. Topping her ivory silk tulle fingertip veil—also embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework—was a Cartier “halo” diamond tiara lent to Kate by her future grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II. The entire wedding ensemble was exhibited at Buckingham Palace a few months after the wedding.

Wedding Dress Silhouettes Through the Years

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For many brides, their wedding dress is the most poignant symbol of their marriage, woven with symbolism and tradition as well as fashion and style. During the Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film exhibition, we are thrilled to offer our guests a glimpse into bridal fashion spanning the 1700s to 1930s, showing how historic trends still influence today’s brides.

All of the costumes seen in Fashionable Romance were designed and made for the screen, but still adhere closely to the period they represent. Each was designed by Cosprop, a well-known design house that prides itself on authenticity, accuracy, and detail in recreating exquisite costumes. From dramatic full skirts of the 1700s, to sleek and slim fashion silhouettes of the 1930s, the gowns exhibited in Biltmore House tell a story of evolving styles and tastes.

One of the most intricate gowns displayed is the dress worn by Keira Knightley as Georgiana Cavendish in the 2008 film, The Duchess; designer Michael O’Connor won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for his work in the film. This dress is an excellent illustration of a formal dress in 1700, with a wide silhouette and full skirt held out horizontally by panniers or hooped petticoats. In this film, the Duke of Devonshire is seen cutting the wedding dress from his new Duchess, which is accurate for this era, as many brides would be sewn into their dresses.

Well into the 1800s, the average women’s wedding dress was simply her best dress and it wasn’t until later that the white wedding dress became standard fare. During this time, dress silhouettes became slimmer and empire waistlines were popular. The gowns worn by the Dashwood sisters in the 1995 film, Sense and Sensibility are very different yet accurate to each woman’s status. Emma Thompson, playing Elinor Dashwood, wears a simple muslin dress and crushed velvet spencer jacket in her marriage to the refined but poor minister, Edward Ferrars, played by Hugh Grant. It’s a clear contrast to her sister’s marriage into wealth, in which Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood wears a detailed beaded gown with a full length petticoat. 

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, small waists were the desired look; to achieve this, corsets were commonly worn to draw in the stomach paired with frills on the bodice. High necklines and collars were popular, as represented by the gown from the 1996 Hamlet worn by Julie Christie, displayed in Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Bedroom.  Brides during this period also favored veiled hats and long trains—styles that are beginning to resurface in today’s bridal fashions.

A transatlantic collaboration: Recreating a Vanderbilt family heirloom

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Biltmore’s Curator of Interpretation Leslie Klingner was anticipating the arrival of a special delivery when we met recently to talk with her about a unique collaboration that would result in the re-creation of a Vanderbilt family heirloom. 

Due in the very next day from England was the result of that collaboration: a replica of the wedding gown and veil Cornelia Vanderbilt wore in her 1924 wedding to John Frances Amherst Cecil. The gown is part of our new exhibition opening on Feb. 12, “Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film.”

Because the new exhibition contains a section devoted to wedding stories about the Vanderbilt and Cecil families, Leslie and team decided to have the ensemble recreated for our guests to enjoy. The original gown and veil are not in Biltmore’s archival collection, yet many photographs exist of Cornelia in the dress including one of her standing on the Grand Staircase in Biltmore House.

Leslie and members of Biltmore’s Museum Services Team joined forces with John Bright and his team at London-based Cosprop, Ltd., a respected costumier to film, television and theater. Biltmore has enjoyed a friendship with Bright and his company since working together on bringing their costumes from “Downton Abbey” to Biltmore for an exhibition in 2015. And of course, Bright’s team is responsible for creating the gorgeous film costumes to be featured in “Fashionable Romance.”

Leslie Klingner studies a lace sample being considered for the reconstruction of Cornelia Vanderbilt's wedding dress.

Leslie, staff archivist Jill Hawkins, and curator Lori Garst set about scouring the archives for every photo of Cornelia in her wedding gown they could find. They gathered newspaper clippings about the wedding and descriptions of her dress. They made copies of the material, packed it all up and sent it overseas to Bright. (Back in 1924, news of Cornelia Vanderbilt’s wedding was akin to coverage of what a modern-day celebrity receives when getting married.)

With all of that information, Bright’s team would create a straight satin foundation with long sleeves and a shortened hemline; and an antique lace stole that forms the lace outer layer of the dress. They would also make Cornelia’s dramatic voluminous veil and its lengthy train.

“The silhouette of the dress was very elegant and its unique structure was more common in the 1920s. It’s modern, and closely cut with an undersheath made from very luxe materials. The draping and length were very much in keeping with the changing fashion of the Jazz Age,” Leslie said.

Before any sewing took place, the teams spent many hours planning by conference call. Fabric and lace samples traveled between Asheville and London. In all, the planning process took one year. Actual construction of the dress took a five-person team at Cosprop seven weeks.

Lessons in ingenuity


That an ocean was between the two teams was but a small technicality in recreating Cornelia’s dress. Issues more challenging presented themselves along the way:

  • Cornelia’s exact measurements were unknown. Leslie and team employed their research skills and came up with a composite for Bright. They knew she was tall, and her 1922 passport application confirmed that she was about 5 feet 10 inches tall. For the remaining crucial details, Biltmore Conservator Anne Battram measured one of the few pieces of Cornelia’s clothing in the archives: her French Renaissance page costume she wore during her 21st birthday masquerade party in 1921.
  • Textiles used in the original dress are no longer made. Despite the absence of the same satin weave fabric used for the sheath of the dress, Bright knew where he could find the closest thing that would match the lustrous sheen of Cornelia’s gown. “He did a fabulous job,” Leslie says.
  • The silk tulle required to create the veil’s volume is no longer available in the original width. Bright is an Oscar-winning costumer designer, so his expertise and experience informed his ability to take the widest silk tulle available and work with it to create the right proportions.
  • The silk tulle is ethereal and light making it subject to wilting in humid conditions. To ensure the veil remains as airy and voluminous as it was on Cornelia’s wedding day for the duration of the exhibition, Bright added a layer of nylon tulle underneath to help maintain the body of the fabric.

The dress indeed arrived the day after our talk with Leslie. We checked back in with her about the results.

“We are absolutely ecstatic with the outcome,” says Leslie. “This was a complex project, particularly since many of materials were antique originally and impossible to source, so we knew we would never be able to create a perfect facsimile. But, John Bright and Cosprop created an astounding likeness of the gown – down to the orange blossoms on Cornelia’s veil.”  

You can see the dress for yourself when “Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film” opens Feb. 12.

Featured image: John Bright and his team at Cosprop, Ltd. in London worked from archival photography and newspaper accounts of Cornelia Vanderbilt’s 1924 wedding to John F.A. Cecil to replicate her gown for Biltmore’s new exhibition.

Also featured: Biltmore’s Leslie Klingner compares lace and silk fabric samples sent to her in Asheville, N.C., from Bright in London. 

And the Oscar goes to. . .

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As time for the Academy Awards approaches, we are drawn to details that make Oscar-winning films so memorable—including the extraordinary costumes that bring cinematic characters to life.

Our Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film exhibition beginning February 12 gives you the opportunity to take a closer look at costumes from seven films nominated for an Academy Award in Costume Design—including two Oscar winners!The Duchess wedding

Anthony Powell is an English costume designer and three-time Oscar winner; his interpretation of 19th-century attire for Tess was honored with the Academy Award in 1980. The wedding dress he created for Tess Durbyfield (played by Nastassja Kinski), is displayed in Biltmore’s Carriage House. Powell has been nominated for six Academy Awards; his other wins came for 1972’s Travels with My Aunt and 1978’s Death on the Nile.

Another English costume designer—Michael O’Connor—won the Academy Award in 2008 for The Duchess, where he created 30 different gowns for Keira Knightley in her role as Georgiana Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire. The clothing styles reflected the Duchess’ celebrity status as the center of glamorous English society of the time, and range from the elaborate gown worn for her wedding to simpler dresses in later years; you can see examples of both styles exhibited in the Banquet Hall. O’Connor was also a nominee in 2011 for Jane Eyre and in 2013 for The Invisible Woman.

The Fashionable Romance exhibition also includes costumes from five other films whose costume designers were nominated for Academy Awards in Costume Design:Out of Africa wedding dress

  • Out of Africa, 1985; designed by Milena Canonero, a nine-time nominee and four-time Oscar winner for Barry Lyndon, Chariots of Fire, Marie Antoinette, and The Grand Budapest Hotel
  • Howard’s End, 1992 and Sense and Sensibility, 1995; designed by Jenny Beavan and John Bright, six-time nominees who won the Academy Award for A Room with A View
  • Emma, 1996; designed by Ruth Myers, two-time nominee
  • Hamlet, 1996: Alexandra Byrne, four-time nominee and Oscar winner for Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Photos

Top: Hayley Atwell as Lady Elizabeth Foster and Keira Knightley as Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire in The Duchess. Copyright 2008 Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Left: Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley as the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire in The Duchess. Copyright 2008 Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

Right: Meryl Streep as Karen Blixen in Out of Africa. Copyright 1985 Universal Pictures Limited. Courtesy of Universal Studios Licensing LLC.

Carrying on a Wedding Tradition: The Lee Family Veil

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

Text panel photos of Jackie Onassis and John F Kennedy wedding and Mary Lee Ryan and William Cecile wedding; both women wore the same veil. On exhibition in Legacy in Antler Hill Village.
Text panel photos of Jackie Onassis and John F Kennedy wedding and Mary Lee Ryan and William Cecile wedding; both women wore the same veil. On exhibition in Legacy in Antler Hill Village.

A Family Heirloom

The story begins in 1903, when Margaret Merritt Lee wore the exquisite rose point lace veil when she married James T. Lee, a prominent New Yorker. Some 50 years later, her granddaughters Jacqueline Lee Bouvier and Mary Lee Ryan continued the tradition at their own weddings.

In 1953, Jacqueline Bouvier married then-Senator John F. Kennedy; her first cousin, Mary Ryan, wore the veil in 1957 when she wed William A.V. Cecil, grandson of George Vanderbilt. The original veil will be on display February 12–July 4, 2016 as part of the Fashionable Romance exhibition at The Biltmore Legacy in Antler Hill Village & Winery.

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

The future first lady and fashion icon’s wedding gown had a tremendous impact on bridal fashion. InStyle magazine ranked Jacqueline Bouvier 6th on a list of best-dressed celebrity brides of all time for her “super-romantic ensemble.” Her intricate ivory silk taffeta gown featured a portrait neckline, fitted bodice, and bouffant skirt embellished with bands of 50 yards of flounces. A tiara of lace and orange blossoms anchored the Lee family veil.

Text panel in Legacy at Antler Hill Village with archival photo of Cornelia Vanderbilt's wedding.
Text panel in Legacy at Antler Hill Village with archival photo of Cornelia Vanderbilt’s wedding.

Edith & Cornelia’s Shared Veil

There’s also another wedding veil with Vanderbilt family connections. Edith Stuyvesant Dresser wore her mother’s Brussels rose point lace veil at her 1898 wedding to George Vanderbilt; the veil was also worn by her three sisters at their ceremonies. In 1924, the same veil was part of Cornelia Vanderbilt’s bridal attire when she wed the Honorable John Francis Amherst Cecil. You can see a reproduction of Edith and Cornelia’s veil on display in The Biltmore Legacy as part of the Fashionable Romance exhibition.

As for the Lee veil, brides in the extended family continue to keep the tradition by wearing it at their weddings, including Mary Lee Ryan Cecil’s daughter and daughter-in-law.

Recreating Cornelia Vanderbilt’s Wedding Dress

Go behind the scenes with the talented designers of Cosprop London as they recreate Cornelia Vanderbilt’s wedding dress to be displayed for this special exhibition at Biltmore.

Preparing for a new exhibition

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The Biltmore Legacy will be closed January 4 – February 11, 2016 to prepare for a new exhibition in conjunction with our Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film exhibition that will be displayed throughout Biltmore House February 12 – July 4.

While the costumes on display in Biltmore House will showcase changing styles in wedding fashions for more than 300 years, from the 1700s through the 1930s, as captured in classic feature films such as Sense and Sensibility and The Duchess, the exhibition at The Biltmore Legacy will feature 60 years of Vanderbilt family wedding fashion including Cornelia Vanderbilt Cecil’s 1924 wedding gown and veil re-created by noted costume designers Cosprop, Ltd. of London

Jacqueline Bouvier and John F. Kennedy on their wedding day; photo credit: Toni Frissell. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. In addition, guests visiting The Biltmore Legacy will have an opportunity to view the first-ever display of the Lee family veil worn by Mary Lee Ryan for her marriage to George Vanderbilt’s grandson, William A.V. Cecil, and also by her first cousin Jacqueline Lee Bouvier for her marriage to future U.S. President John F. Kennedy.  

In both Biltmore House and The Biltmore Legacy, the exhibition will be complemented by gorgeous floral arrangements carefully researched and inspired by the wedding customs of the time period in which the film or the authentic story was set.

In the Tapestry Gallery, for example, three fresh arrangements on pedestals will provide a beautiful backdrop for costume groupings from Wallis and Edward and several other films. In the first arrangement, the floral creation of blue delphinium and lilacs with white roses, hydrangeas, and lilies is a reproduction of the piece designed for the real 1937 wedding of Wallis Simpson and Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor.

For The Biltmore Legacy, our floral staff reproduced Mrs. William Cecil's bouquet of white roses and stephanotis in silk to accompany her classic 1950s wedding gown that will be on display along with her family veil.

We hope you will join us beginning February 12 to enjoy learning more about wedding fashion as well as the Vanderbilt family.

Remembering our Christmas past

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Christmas has always been celebrated in grand style at Biltmore, beginning with the opening of Biltmore House on Christmas Eve 1895 and continuing today with Christmas at Biltmore. The festivities have always included friends and family, plus a special party for employees of the estate.

Creating traditions

While George Vanderbilt was still a bachelor, he enlisted the help of Mrs. Charles McNamee, the wife of his friend who assisted in purchasing land for the estate, to provide Christmas gifts for 300–500 guests, including estate workers and their families. Mr. Vanderbilt greeted everyone in the Banquet Hall on Christmas afternoon, and members of his own family helped distribute the gifts which included Christmas trees and trimmings for estate employees to decorate their own homes.

In 1897, Biltmore’s Christmas celebration took place at All Souls Parish in Biltmore Village because George Vanderbilt was away from home. According to a report in the Semi-Weekly Citizen, there were “toys and candy and cakes and oranges for the little ones, and books and articles useful and ornamental, dress goods and jerseys, ties and gloves, for the older folk. As in previous and future celebrations, refreshments were served, including ice cream, cake, and bananas.”

Cornelia Vanderbilt and her cousin John Nicholas Brown in 1905

Cornelia Vanderbilt and her cousin John Nicholas Brown, 1905

Celebrating with friends and family

George Vanderbilt married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser in 1898, and she took an immediate and active interest in the estate’s annual Christmas festivities. In 1905, when George and Edith Vanderbilt’s only child Cornelia would have been five years old, the New York Times reported the following details about the holiday cheer at Biltmore:

“Mr. and Mrs. George W. Vanderbilt this afternoon provided for nearly a thousand children of Biltmore estate employees a big tree in the banquet hall of the chateau. The little ones were loaded with useful gifts and toys…bought in Asheville in the last week…Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt welcomed each of the little guests, many of whom came twenty miles from the coves and mountain tops of the Vanderbilt forest domain, some walking, some by ox team and some mule back…. Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt…personally distributed all the gifts, aided by Mrs. Edith Wharton, Mr. Wharton, and Mrs. Ernesto G. Fabbri (George Vanderbilt’s niece].”

In her oral history, Edith Cauble, whose parents worked on the estate, recalls:

“Christmas parties where Mr. Vanderbilt stood on one side of the front door of the House in tails, and Edith stood on the other side wearing a long velvet dress giving out oranges and candy. In the Banquet Hall there was music and Cornelia would run around with the other children.”
 
Biltmore Employee Christmas party in 1916Employee Christmas party at Antler Hall, ca. 1916

Edith and Cornelia Vanderbilt continued the employee Christmas parties even after George Vanderbilt passed away in 1914. In 1916, the event took place outdoors at Antler Hall—a large home originally located where The Inn on Biltmore Estate™ now sits. In the archival photograph featured here, you can see Edith Vanderbilt just to the right of center wearing a dark hat, and Cornelia to her left in a white hat.

Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at the entrance to Biltmore HouseSanta and Mrs. Claus welcome guests to Biltmore

The tradition continues

Today, more than a century after the first holiday festivities at Biltmore, we continue to host our annual Christmas party for employees. It is still a grand occasion with gifts for the children, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and delicious refreshments—and a wonderful opportunity to see America’s Largest Home® lit by the glow of candles and firelight during Candlelight Christmas Evenings.

Featured blog image: Photographs of George Vanderbilt’s parents (William Henry Vanderbilt and Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt) 

Celebrating a Gilded Age Christmas

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Each year, our floral department selects a theme inspired by the Vanderbilt era, and they interpret it throughout the entire estate, from Biltmore House to Antler Hill Village & Winery, plus The Inn on Biltmore Estate, our new Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate, and all our shops restaurants. For 2015, the theme reflects all the style and splendor associated with ‘A Gilded Age Christmas.’

But what does “Gilded Age” really mean? We turned to Laura Overbey, Collections Manager, for a helpful definition.

“Gilded Age refers to the time period in which the Vanderbilts and their peers lived,” said Laura. “It is a unique time in American history that included the construction of grand and elegantly decorated estates filled with high society and glittering parties.”

Chandelier detailTo reflect the shimmering splendor of a Gilded Age Christmas inside Biltmore House, Floral concentrated on highlighting the stunning interior details like mantels, carvings, and light fixtures complemented by dozens of beautifully decorated trees, miles of fresh greenery and wreaths, and ornaments.

“We’ve created an elegant holiday statement that reflects the luxury of that time,” said Cathy Barnhardt, Floral Displays Manager. “The emphasis is on rich layers of color accented with metallic touches of gold, silver, and platinum.”

The Banquet Hall is always a guest favorite during Christmas. This year, the traditional 40’ fresh-cut Fraser fir is decorated with Edison-style white lights, tinsel, brightly-wrapped gift boxes, vintage toys tied on with bows, and enormous, colorful ornaments in keeping with the size of the tree. Also included in the charming display is a bright red, child-sized one-horse sleigh that dates from the turn of the century.

Decorations and wrapped packages on the Christmas treeThe tree and the packages are reminiscent of the first Biltmore Christmas when the children of estate workers gathered in the hall to receive presents chosen especially for them. In December 1895 the Asheville Citizen noted that “A beautiful Christmas tree that stood in the Banquet Hall causing the loveliest anticipation of the little folks was then stripped of its heavy trimming of gifts. Each guest was remembered.”

In the Salon, a stately tree decorated with feminine details that suggest ladies hats, feathers, and jeweled pieces was inspired by Edith Vanderbilt’s use of the space as a sitting room where she entertained her friends with afternoon tea.

A quartet of trees in the Tapestry Gallery feature dozens of cherubs peeping out from the branches in honor of the Nativity, the centerpiece of the longest room in Biltmore House. The Tapestry Gallery trees and those in the Third Floor Living Hall also feature globe-shaped German wax ornaments decorated with floral patterns.

“These are my favorite ornaments, and ones I used to decorate during my first Christmas here nearly 40 years ago,” said Cathy. “They are very traditional and so fitting for this year’s Gilded Age theme.”

Sparkling Christmas ornamentsThere’s nothing quite as special celebrating the holidays at Biltmore, and since George Vanderbilt chose to open his home to his friends and family at Christmas 1895, it’s only fitting that we continue that tradition today. We hope you’ll join us for both our Christmas at Biltmore daytime celebration and our magical Candlelight Christmas Evenings.