For those able to arrive a little early to the AIC meeting this year, many activities were on offer. As a member of the National Trust back home in the UK I jumped at the chance to spend a few hours being shown around two of Newport's largest and grandest houses, Marble House and The Breakers.
Walking up towards Marble House
Our day started off at Marble House, summer house of Mr and Mrs William Vanderbilt, completed in the early 1890s. Greeting us at Marble House were some of the wonderful collections care team from The Preservation Society of Newport County. As we were guided through several rooms the team pointed out conservation problems and solutions, and where they were currently undertaking work and why. They discussed the history of the house and how it had been changed by owners over its seventy-year life as a private home. I am a textile conservator so I particularly enjoyed their presentation of original, conserved silk-covered furniture vs. that which had needed replica fabric. Staff had managed to trace the original manufacturer (Prell in Leon, France) and obtain not only the original pattern records, but also Mrs Vandebilt's original signed order. For those with an interest in the ties between British aristocracy and gilded age heiresses, this is also the "cottage" where The 9th Duke of Marlborough, (Charles Spencer-Churchill) proposed to the Vanderbilt's daughter, Consuelo.
Patricia Miller, Chief Conservator, discusses the research that went into replica silk fabric.
After a brief stop for coffee at Marble House's 1913 tea house, we hopped back on the bus to get over to The Breakers - Newport's grandest and most popular "cottage".
The Breakers
Again the team discussed the building's history, it's associated family members and some of their current projects. The original owner,
Cornelius Vanderbilt II, was the older brother of
William Kissam Vanderbilt, the original owner of Marble House, although The Breakers is the slightly younger of the properties. Staff from The PSNC gave us a thorough tour, even dodging behind the barriers to allow us a closer look at decorative air vents and platinum-leaf wall decals. A great little detail was a "please touch" panel, demonstrating the negative effects of cumulative touching on historic surfaces.
Visitors could clearly spot the damage inflicted by numerous hands!
Again, my attention was particularly drawn by the textile goings-on. Hanging over the grand staircase should be an impressive tapestry, but in it's place is now a (still impressive) full colour, digitally printed copy. The tapestry was removed in 2017 and sent to
The Royal Manufacturer De Wit in Belgium for cleaning and a full conservation treatment. The team have taken this opportunity to redo the lighting in the stairwell, so I look forward to hearing more about the whole finished project over the next couple of years.
The replica hanging in place over the grand staircase
Our trip to Newport concluded with nibbles and drinks at the Vanderbilt Stables building, where we were also invited into the conservation studios to look at current gilding projects. Thank you so much to everyone who made this day possible - I think it was enjoyed immensely by all who attended!
Find out more!
https://www.newportmansions.org/https://www.newportmansions.org/explore/marble-househttps://www.newportmansions.org/explore/the-breakers#47thAnnualMeeting(NewEngland)#Featured