The entrance to Determined Women at the dacha at Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens/by Patricia Leslie
The Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens is a respite of soothing and enchanting glorious springtime colors where guests may wander lush grounds, and walk green pathways to admire endless flower gardens.
A sense of peace and serenity prevails; time is unhurried.
One pathway leads to a small Russian dacha*, built about 1969 and the setting of an exhibition of 100 pieces from the collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973) who lived and died at Hillwood and made it what it is today: luxurious galleries and a museum of incredible works of art.
The Grand Duchesses, the four daughters of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia, Olga, Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia, 1916, two years before they were murdered.
Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, 1906, whose daughters are pictured above.
Left: Star of the Order of Saint Anna, 19th cent. St. Petersburg, silver, diamonds and enamel. Translated from the front: To those who love justice, piety, and faith. In the center is the Russian imperial eagle.
Right: Badge of the Order of Saint Anna, 19th cent. Russia, gold, diamonds, enamel/by Patricia Leslie
Ms. Post's inheritance as the only child of her parents no doubt made possible her philanthropic efforts and marshaled her business smarts (she founded General Foods with her second husband**).
At age 27 she was the richest woman in the U.S.
Her father had founded the Post cereal company.
Georgii Musikiiskii (miniaturist), after Johann Gottfried Tannauer, Abraham Heydrich (watchmaker), 1725, watch with miniature portrait of Catherine I, Peter the Great's second wife, gold, silver, diamonds, enamel, copper, St. Petersburg. The ceiling lights at the exhibition are reflected on the watch/by Patricia Leslie
Carpe diem!
And Ms. Post did! Now, outside of Russia, her Russian collection is considered the best in the world. (What would Mr. Putin exchange for it? Or, some of it?)
Many more Russian artifacts are on display in the mansion.
From left, by Felix Chopin (1813-1892), made in Russia, c. 1867.
In the center is a marble by an unknown sculptor, made in Russia, after 1771.
On the right, by August Spiess, designer (1817-1904), the Imperial Porcelain Factory, St. Petersburg, after 1872 after a model by Jacques-Dominique Rachette (1744-1809) based on a marble original by Fedot Ivanovich Shubin (1740-1805)/by Patricia Leslie
Despite its small size, the exhibition packs two rooms with photographs, paintings, sculpture, jewelry, embroidery and more, a "must see" for Russian cultural aficionados.
But you don't have to love Russian history, culture, and people to want to come since it's more than all things Russian. Artists and designers from other nations, especially France, are represented, along with dress designers of her own whom Ms. Post admired. And, I am guessing it was a relative who made Ms. Post's baby bonnet.
Pictures, descriptions and locations of all the objects in the exhibition may be found here.
After she and Mr. Davies divorced in 1955, Ms. Post established Hillwood where she is buried on the grounds. (She reclaimed her maiden name after her fourth and last marriage.)
Of note: Ms. Post built and owned Mar-A-Lago in Florida, another of her "notable" five homes before Donald Trump, the present owner, bought it in 1985 for about $10 million. She had willed it to the National Park Service which deemed it too expensive to maintain. Forbes places the current value around $160 million.
The Hillwood exhibition accompanies a new publication, The Houses and Collections of Marjorie Merriweather Post ($60, hardcover; $30, paperback).
*A dacha is a small Russian country house or villa. In 2017, approximately 60 million Russians or more than 40 percent of the population of 145 million, were estimated to own one.
**Ms. Post's husbands were, in order:
Edward Bennett Close (married 1905; divorced 1919)
Edward Francis Hutton (m. 1920; d. 1935)
Joseph E. Davies (m. 1935; d. 1955)
Herbert A. May (m. 1958; d. 1964)
What: Determined Women: Collectors, Artists, and Designers at Hillwood
When: Now through Sunday, June 18, 2023, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed Mondays.
Where: Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008
Admission: Suggested donations are $18 (adults), $15 (seniors), $10 (college students), $5 (child, ages 6 -18) and free for members and those under age 6. $3 discounts are available for adults and seniors who make reservations online for weekdays, and $1 off, for weekends. For busy times (Mother's Day, anyone?), reservations are highly recommended.
Directions via bus, rail, car
Parking: Free and on-site
For more information: 202-686-5807
Café onsite
patricialesli@gmail.com
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