A transatlantic collaboration: Recreating a Vanderbilt family heirloom Posted on February 2, 2016 at 12:00 am.Written by Kristina Smith 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, 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. . . Posted on January 11, 2016 at 12:00 am.Written by Karina Hux 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! 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, 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.
The Inn celebrates 15 years with new Biltmore furnishings Posted on January 5, 2016 at 12:00 am.Written by Karina Hux While crystal or watches may be traditional gifts for a 15-year anniversary, the Inn on Biltmore Estate decided to celebrate in a big way: installing new marble floors in the Lobby and new guest room furniture inspired by Biltmore House. Most of the guest rooms (181) now feature new furnishings from Fine Furniture’s Biltmore Collection. The focal point is the signature Panel Bed in Antler Hill finish inspired by a bed with a wrapped footboard in Biltmore House. Accompanying the bed are additional pieces from the collection including a dresser, night stand, mirrors, chairside table, desk, and chair. “It’s a real pleasure to refresh our guest rooms with furniture that represents the design and quality found in Biltmore House,” said Charles Thompson, Inn general manager. “Working with our licensed products team at Biltmore® For Your Home and their partner, Fine Furniture, has been an exciting process, and one that enable us to further extend the hospitality that George and Edith Vanderbilt created at Biltmore.” Each season, designers from Fine Furniture spend days visiting the estate, taking extensive notes and photos as they glean details from Biltmore House and Gardens to use as inspiration for future designs. For example, the Vestibule Tufted Chair and Ottoman in each guest room incorporates elements drawn from handcrafted leaded glass in the vestibule of Biltmore House, bringing a note of distinguished elegance to the room. The masculine Dressing Chest represents George Vanderbilt’s influence, with its details drawn from the wood and stonework molding trim found throughout the house. In addition to new furnishings, the Inn’s marble floor in the Lobby and other public areas was replaced with new marble sourced from Turkey. “This is part of our normal maintenance efforts to ensure that we keep a pristine appearance,” Charles said. “We chose to close down for two weeks instead of asking our guests to put up with construction equipment, noise, and dust. Now we look forward to welcoming guests back with new furnishings and floors.” Photos Top: The Inn's guest rooms are now set with an impressive bed and other carefully crafted furnishings from Fine Furniture's Biltmore Collection. Photo courtesy of Biltmore® For Your Home. Right: The Vestibule Chair and ottoman from Fine Furniture adds stylish comfort to 181 guest rooms at the Inn. Photo courtesy of Biltmore® For Your Home. View the Collection
Building Bridges at Biltmore Posted on January 4, 2016 at 12:00 am.Written by Kristina Smith Bridges are a functional and necessary part of getting around Biltmore, and most of us simply drive or walk right over them without really noticing many details. But enormous thought and care went into the planning and construction of these bridges, which are more than a century old. The bridges were designed as a collaborative effort between Biltmore’s architect Richard Morris Hunt and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Brick bridges were typically constructed by the Hunt firm, while the stone bridges were created under Olmsted’s direction. The first bridges were wooden structures built in the early 1890s prior to the completion of Biltmore House. Although many of the bridges are in areas not now open to guests, there are several that are used and admired every day. Standing the test of time You’ll see an enduring example of Olmsted’s stone bridge design about halfway up the Approach Road to Biltmore House. It was created as a horse-ford bridge with a pull-off so that carriages could stop and allow the horses to drink without blocking the road. This bridge once had a semi-circular balcony with a stone bench built into it so that guests could enjoy the scenery and the pond while waiting for the ride to resume. The iconic brick bridge over the Bass Pond is one of the most beautiful spots on the estate. Its sweeping curve and high archway reflected in the water below made a stunning backdrop a scene in the film Last of the Mohicans—one of many feature films shot at Biltmore–as two central characters rode across it in a horse-drawn carriage. “We know that the Hunt firm designed the Bass Pond bridge, and that it includes brick made at Biltmore Brick and Tileworks,” said Bill Alexander, Landscape and Forest Historian. “Archival records show that it cost $9,570 to complete.” Another lovely bridge that is often overlooked includes a tunnel allowing pedestrians to cross from the Shrub Garden to the Spring Garden. As you walk or drive between the iron gates in front of Biltmore House, follow the road to the right toward the Conservatory. You’ll cross this bridge just before entering the Walled Garden. “Olmsted used the same technique in Central Park so that people walking didn’t have to worry about vehicles,” said Bill. “Although it was Olmsted’s idea and plan, Hunt designed and built it. Reading between the lines, we think that Hunt, Olmsted, and Vanderbilt probably planned those important details together.” Featured photo: Bass Pond Bridge Righ photo: (L-R, standing) Edward Burnett, Richard Morris Hunt, George Vanderbilt; (L-R, seated) Frederick Law Olmsted, Richard Howland Hunt Left photo: brick details of Bass Pond Bridge
Carrying on a Wedding Tradition: The Lee Family Veil Posted on January 4, 2016 at 12:00 am.Written by Heather Angel 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. A Family Heirloom What is the connection between Biltmore and Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy Onassis? Besides the obvious—two famous American families represented by the Vanderbilts and the Kennedys—there is a more romantic link: an heirloom wedding veil. 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. 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. 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.
Our Top 10 Memories from 2015 Posted on December 31, 2015 at 12:00 am.Written by Danielle Withrow We hope you enjoy this short video highlighting our “Top 10” memories from 2015. It was certainly a milestone year for Biltmore, marking the success and growth of our company as we continue to protect George Vanderbilt’s legacy and preserve the art of hospitality. We partnered with Cosprop for our first feature costume exhibition to display over 40 costumes from the hit PBS mini-series “Downton Abbey.” Due to overwhelming positive feedback, we have decided to showcase more costumes and historic fashion in our 2016 exhibition “Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film.” Biltmore Blooms featured a gorgeous display throughout our 75 acres of landscaped gardens, this year including over 74,000 tulips and 15,000 daffodils. Six Summer Concerts spanned the month of August, with each artist performing on Biltmore’s South Terrace overlooking the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains. Our team is already working on a spectacular lineup for next year! Biltmore’s Sporting Clays Club opened their new location on the West Side of the estate, restoring a home estimated to be built between 1879-1889 that had remained on the estate from the pre-Vanderbilt era. The project received the 2015 Griffin Award from The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County in the Adaptive Re-Use category. Biltmore For Your Home celebrated their 25th Anniversary, with their licensed partners and extensive line of home decor products continuing to draw inspiration from Biltmore and uphold the standard of excellence set by the Vanderbilt family. Biltmore’s North Tower Ridge Cap project spanned nearly the entire year, coming to completion in early November and showcasing our commitment to authenticity and preservation of the estate. We celebrated North Carolina Wine Month with the “Taste of Biltmore” in September, featuring numerous culinary events and demos of our estate-grown wines and field-to-table cuisine. Biltmore Winery celebrated its 30th Anniversary and continues to be the most-visited winery in the country, with distribution expanding to 21 states. Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate officially opened on December 1. This new lodging property offers a casual and convenient way to stay on the estate, with dining, shopping, our Winery just steps away. “Christmas at Biltmore” continues to be an amazing tribute to George Vanderbilt’s favorite holiday, and allows us to relive the excitement that he must have felt when he opened his home to family and friends for the first time on Christmas Eve 1895. Thank you to all of our guests who visited Biltmore during 2015, and we look forward to seeing you again soon. Happy new year!
“Undecorating” Biltmore House Posted on December 29, 2015 at 12:00 am.Written by Karina Hux It takes months of planning and preparation to set up Christmas at Biltmore, but our amazing Floral Designers “undecorate” in just two days! They've mastered the art of organizing and packing ornaments, garland and other decorations before loading it into our warehouse, where it is safely stored until next year. When you're packing up your holiday decor this year, use these tips from Biltmore's expert Floral Designers to keep everything looking beautiful year after year. Never store natural materials such as nuts, cones, pods, dried flowers, or greenery with ornaments or decorations. This could invite insects, mice and moisture problems. Remove all dust and dirt from the individual ornaments before storing. Brush with a soft natural bristle brush. (Make-up brushes work well.) Always remove any ornament hangers, as they will scratch paint and could possibly rust onto cardboard or cotton ornaments. Wrap each ornament individually in tissue paper, and if an antique or collectable, be sure to use acid-free tissue to protect your investment or your memento. Also use tissue to pad the ornaments as you pack them in boxes. Never use newspaper or colored papers, as they will stain and are acidic and may damage materials. Place the individually wrapped ornaments in shallow boxes. For everyday ornaments, apple boxes with the cardboard dividers work well for holding ornaments securely. Do not stack too many layers, as the weight of the upper layers could break ornaments on the lower layers. Shallow boxes are best. For antique ornaments, use shallow acid free cardboard boxes. Do not use plastic storage boxes, as they do not allow for good ventilation. The box needs to be breathable, in case condensation should occur. Never store ornaments in a damp basement or a hot attic. Temperatures need to be relatively consistent, to keep paints from flaking or spotting. High temperatures found in attics can melt wax ornaments. Humidity needs to be low, to prevent condensation or damp spots. Moisture can cause paint to break loose, or can create tarnished dark spots on glass or metal. Cardboard and cotton can be ruined by moisture. Store boxes in a safe, cool, dry spot, away from sunlight or heat. Closet shelves in an air-conditioned and heated home work well.
Preparing for a new exhibition Posted on December 2, 2015 at 12:00 am.Written by Karina Hux 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 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.
Time to Light the Luminaries Posted on November 20, 2015 at 12:00 am.Written by Karina Hux Late in the afternoon just before sunset, a small crew of Biltmore staff members hops out of a pick-up truck in front of Biltmore House to begin a long-standing holiday tradition: the lighting of the luminaries. The glow of 300 luminaries lining the front lawn and Rampe Douce help set a yuletide tone for our guests as they prepare to enter Biltmore House for Candlelight Christmas Evenings, taking place nightly, now through January 8, 2016. Each luminary contains a white votive candle, held in place with a generous scoop of sand. It takes about two hours for a 4-person team from our Housekeeping staff to hand-light each one. The number 7 is an important one for Nell Swan, Facility Services Supervisor and a member of the luminary team for the last 15 years. Seven is the number of steps she takes to place each bag on the lawn to ensure that perfect symmetry for which this light display is known. Some areas require eight steps, she says, but the edge she was working, near the Stable Courtyard, calls for seven. When it comes to “behind-the-scenes” activities, guests seem to be endlessly fascinated with how we do what we do at Biltmore. According to Vince Helton, Director of Facility Services, while the larger team lights the luminaries, one staff member enters Biltmore House to set up chairs, music stands, and lights for musicians, turn on all fireplaces on first and second floors, polish the brass threshold at the Front Door, and turn on the lights for the large outdoor Christmas tree. “Once the evening activities end around 11 p.m.,” said Vince, “the team starts picking up the luminaries so that everything is ready for our daytime guests.” The luminaries, combined with the forest of lit trees in the middle of the lawn – including a 60-foot-tall Norway Spruce – create a magical welcome for our guests arriving to tour through Biltmore House. Kudos to Nell and team for making it happen every night!
A towering tribute to Christmas Posted on November 20, 2015 at 12:00 am.Written by Karina Hux Our magical Candlelight Christmas Evenings bring the season to life with flickering candlelight and cozy flames, plus the sounds of choirs and musicians to create an intimate atmosphere in Biltmore House. On the Front Lawn, a 55-foot Norway spruce tree, lit by 45,000 tiny bright lights and surrounded by hundreds of hand-lit luminaries, welcomes guests and sets a charming holiday mood. “For Christmas decorations outside Biltmore House,” said Cathy Barnhardt, Floral Displays Manager, “we need a tree that's tall enough to show up in front of America's largest home!” Each year, our Floral team works with Andrews Nursery–the same nursery that provides our magnificent Banquet Hall Christmas trees–to find a towering evergreen that will work for the Front Lawn. Their preference is for a tree that already needs to be removed because of its proximity to homes or power lines. In 2012, for example, the Front Lawn tree came from Roan Mountain on the North Carolina/Tennessee state line. “It started out as a live inside Christmas tree that was planted outside after the holiday,” Cathy said. “It grew for nearly 50 years until it just got too big for the yard and had to come down. We were very excited to bring it to Biltmore.” As for lighting the massive Front Lawn tree each year, our engineering team spends several nights creating the glowing display. “This year's Norway spruce weighs in at 11,000 pounds, is 55-feet tall and 34 years old,” said Brent Merrell, Director of Engineering Services. “We use three boom lifts to decorate it and most of the lights are placed after dark so we know they are evenly distributed.”