I don't know about the grandest lady, but I think that I'm the grandest little girl, sitting there in the middle with my bonnet, my white gloves, and (no doubt) my white patent leather shoes! I have to say that my mom and sisters Alison and Robin look pretty grand too! I don't know how old I am in this picture - old enough to have lost a tooth! We were sitting on my grandparents' front porch - one of my happiest places to be.
One of our final jaunts around Florida before heading home was a visit to the Flagler Museum, located in Palm Beach. An overwhelming, 60,000+ square-foot mansion, I will simply not be able to share all of it with you. I hope that you will at least get a feel for the place. One interesting thing that I learned is that at the time of its construction, around 1893-1902 (with an addition completed in 1925), mansions such as this were specifically designed to be museums for classical arts and literature, and a symbol of American cultural sophistication. At the end, I will share links that will provide more detailed information about Henry Flagler and the museum if you are interested.
The video clip below, while dated, provides a 10-minute summary of Flagler's contribution to the development of East Florida, and his competitive partnership with Henry Plant, who helped to develop the state's west coast.
"When it was completed in 1902, the New York Herald proclaimed that Whitehall, Henry Flagler's Gilded Age estate in Palm Beach, was "more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world." Today, Whitehall is a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as the Flagler Museum, featuring guided tours, changing exhibits, and special programs." http://www.flaglermuseum.us/
Henry Flagler built Whitehall (now home to the Flagler Museum), for his wife, Mary Lily Kenan. The home was built for $50,000 beginning in 1893. It was a winter residence and Henry gave it to his wife as a wedding present.
Henry Flagler
Grand Hall
"Lady in the Veil" marble bust byE. Fiaschi
The resident organist played the 1,249-pipe JH &CS Odell Co. organ.
The Grand Balroom
1903 ball in honor of George Washington's birthday. Oh - but to have been a fly upon that wall!
Venetian stemware
The Billiards Room
The Dining-room
The Breakfast Room
The Drawing Room
On to the bedrooms (of which I will share a few) ~
The Master Suite, which Henry and his wife shared - an uncommon practice at the turn of the century.
More bedrooms ~
The Upstairs Servants' Rooms
"A regular staff of servants accompanied the Flaglers to their Palm Beach winter estate each year. Many of these servants lived on the second floor west wing, which housed thirteen separate servants' bedrooms."
http://www.flaglermuseum.us/servants-room
The museum also houses a "Lace Exhibit". Up through the Guilded Age, lace was a highly prized commodity.
Lace workers display the various styles of lace made, and the different pillows used in their lace school in the late 19th century in Friuli, Italy. Traditionally lace-making instruction began when the girls were very young.
One of the lace-making pillows and tools.
The Courtyard of Whitehall - the Courtyard plan took advantage of the ocean breezes, which helped to cool the house in the hot Florida climate.
I would have loved to have seen the kitchen facilities, but the original area was destroyed when Whitehall added a hotel addition in 1925. The museum offices are now housed in its place.
If you type in "floor plan" in the search box of the Flagler Museum website, it will take you to a visual tour of each room in the house along with an auditory accompaniment. I got to it by accident and tried to get to it again in a more straightforward way, but couldn't.
