Showing posts with label Hillwood Estate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hillwood Estate. Show all posts

Saturday, April 8, 2023

See Hillwood's Russian glories and gardens

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

Back of the watch above/By Patricia Leslie


Her admiration of influential women and their designs, works, and artistry form the basis of the exhibition, Determined Women: Collectors, Artists, and Designers at Hillwood which begins in the 1700s and continues to present day. (A curator has added recent pieces about, for example, Stacey Abrams.)

For any cultural and history Russophile like me, the dacha brimming with priceless, historical pieces is another magnificent "find" in Washington, D.C.
After Elisabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun, Portrait of Marie Antoinette and Children, after 1787, at Versailles with the jewel cabinet of Marie Antoinette on the right.
Christina Sanders Robinson (1796-1854), Portrait of Nicholas I, 1840, Russia. His grandmother was Catherine the Great.
Two evening dresses of Ms. Post, the one on the left by Thum (1865-1954), 1920-1925, and the one on the right, by Hattie Carnegie (1886-1956), 1935-1940/by Patricia Leslie
Embroidery by Aunte Mollie Post, Marjorie Merriweather Post's baby bonnet, n.d./by Patricia Leslie

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, designer, altar cloth, c. 1899, Russia/
by Patricia Leslie
 
 Needlework by Caroline Lathrop Post, 1854/by Patricia Leslie

Joseph E. Davies was Ms. Post's third husband who took her to Moscow when he was U.S. ambassador to Russia, 1937-1938. Those years coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Russian Revolution and Joseph Stalin's sale of Russian imperial and pre-revolutionary works, money he needed for his industrial agenda.

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: Maid of Honor Cypher Pin, 1796-1801.
 The cypher states for Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Emperor Paul I.  These pins were worn on the left side of the breast by Maids of Honor to the Empress. Gold, diamonds, Russia.

Center: Another Maid of Honor Cypher Pin, 1907. Attributed to the firm of Karl Karlovich Hahn.  The pin consists of the ciphers in Russian letters of the last two Empresses, Maria Feodorovna and Alexandra Feodorovna. It was given in 1907 to Irene Rimsky-Korsakoff (1883-1972) (Madame Mishtowt of D.C.). The ciphers are topped by the imperial cleft crown of Russia, all set in diamonds with gold and silver, St. Petersburg

Right: Attributed to Carl C. Blank, Lady of Honor Insignia with miniature portraits of Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, 1912. Gold, diamonds, silver, silver gilt, glass, St. Petersburg/by Patricia Leslie

Three busts of Empress Catherine II. 

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

Mather Brown (1761-1831), King Louis XVI Saying Farewell to his Family, 1793, U.S.A.



A pathway at Hillwood/by Patricia Leslie



At Hillwood/by Patricia Leslie

Determined Women at Hillwood/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

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

'Princess Grace' bows out of Hillwood this weekend

Welcome to Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Here Princess Grace is pictured in a silk crepe on the cover of Elle, August 17, 1967 wearing the dress above. At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo  of the cover by Patricia Leslie
The Princess wore this gown (the back, pictured below) of silk georgette, pearls, and sequins when she was a presenter at Frank Sinatra's first "farewell" celebration at the Los Angeles Music Center in 1971 and at the American Film Institute Life Achievement Awards ceremony for director John Ford in 1973. At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The back of the gown on the left, described above. The Princess wore the orange gown on the right at the Motor Yacht Club de la Cote d'Azur Gala in Cannes in 1970 and to the Cannes Film Festival in 1972 when she was escorted by director Alfred Hitchcock. At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
This is one of my favorites in the show (the other one, shown below).  It's called, according to the label copy, a "Diorama" cocktail dress of silk chiffon, from 1965.  At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
See Princess Grace wearing this gown as she was pictured on the cover of Paris Match below.  At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The Princess is pictured in the dress above on the cover of Paris Match, Jan. 26, 1957. At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo of the cover by Patricia Leslie
The Princess wore this day dress of silk twill to the first European backgammon tournament in Monte Carlo in 1973.  At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Detail from the day dress above at Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Does this strike you as rather dowdy for a princess...or for anyone? Yet Princess Grace wore this day dress of silk crepe at the civil wedding ceremony of her eldest daughter, Princess Caroline and Philippe Junot, in Monaco in 1978.  Maybe, Princess Grace was trying to express her lack of joy at the marriage which only lasted two years. At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior,  Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The Princess wore this green gown on several occasions, including the Nice Opera in 1976 and the Literary Council of Monaco dinner in 1973.  At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
This was part of the Princess's wardrobe in 1970, an evening tunic in silk crepe and tassels. At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Her hair design was created by Alexandre de Paris for the Bal des Petits Lits Blancs (Ball of the Little White Beds) in Monaco in 1966. At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo of the design by Patricia Leslie
Pictured with Prince Rainier at the Bal des Petits Lits Blancs (Ball of the Little White Beds) in Monaco in 1966. At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo of a photo by Patricia Leslie
Her hair design was created by Alexandre de Paris for the Bal de la Croix Rouge (Red Cross Ball) where she is pictured below.  At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo of the design by Patricia Leslie
With Frank Sinatra at the Bal de la Croix Rouge Ball in 1980. At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior exhibition, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo of a photo by Patricia Leslie
The bracelet on the top is about 1925, and the brooches, 1910 - 1925, all made of diamonds and platinum. The christening bracelet (bottom) is from 1982, of diamonds and white gold.  At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior exhibition, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The evening bags are of woven gold, platinum, diamonds, gold mesh, sapphires, pearls, white and pink diamonds, metallic silk, gold, and turquoises.  The larger compact between the purses is engraved "For Grace, November, 1968." At Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior exhibition, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
That's a gold wristwatch and a Cartier brooch of turquoise, citrine, diamonds, and gold, both from 1970 at Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior,, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Welcome to Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Welcome to Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Welcome to Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior , Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The entrance to the Hillwood Estate/Photo by Patricia Leslie


Readers, if you care anything about fashion, this is a "must-see" exhibition with gowns, daywear (different from yours and mine), hair styles, jewelry, and fashion accessories in the first Princess Grace wardrobe showing in North America. On display are designs made from her enduring relationship with the house of Christian Dior (1905-1957) whose clothes made up about a third of the Princess's wardrobe.  

The items are on loan from the Palace of Monaco.

Princess Grace was married to Prince Rainier III of Monaco (1923-2005) for 26 years.  They married in 1956, a true love affair cut short by her death in 1982 as a result of a traffic accident when she suffered a stroke. Prince Rainier never remarried and in photographs after her death, always appeared wistful and lost without his mate. A love tale ending too soon as they all do.

According to Wikipedia, Grace (1929-1982) was inaugurated into the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1960, and in 1955 the Custom Tailored Guild of America listed her as the "Best-Tailored Woman."  Numerous exhibitions have been held of her life and clothing including an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to mark the 50th anniversary of her marriage in 2006 which displayed her wedding dress, which took 35 tailors six weeks to finish. 

A retrospective of her wardrobe was held at London's Victoria and Albert Museum in 2010 and at other venues. 

In 2009, a plaque was placed on the "Rodeo Drive Walk of Style" in recognition of her contributions to style and fashion.

Before she married the Prince, Grace Patricia Kelly won an Academy Award in 1954 for her role in The Country Girl, and appeared in ten other movies and more than 60 television shows

It is fitting rapprochement that Grace appears at Marjorie Merriweather Post's elegant mansion for the two had much in common with their haute couture choices and refined living.  

Go and mingle with glamour and feel shared sophistication! It is true, darling. The refinement of the apparel worn by Princess Grace of Monaco  and the grandeur found at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens has a noble afterglow for visitors who can assume the style and "grace" presented.

The exhibition was organized by the Christian Dior Museum of Granville and curated by Florence MĂĽller, Avenir Foundation Curator of Textile Art and Fashion, Denver Art Museum.


WhatGrace of Monaco:  Princess in Dior

When:  Now through Sunday, January 8, 2023, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

Where:  Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

Tickets:  $18 (adults), $15 (seniors), $10 (college students), $5 (child, ages 5 -18) and free for members and those under age 6.

Parking:  Free, on-site

For more information:  202-686-5807

Metro station: Van Ness/UDC station on the Red Line, then walk a (mostly uphill) mile and burn off calories.  (Taxis, available.)

Metro bus stop: The L1 or L2 bus stops at the corner of Connecticut and Tilden streets, NW, about a half mile walk (mostly uphill) to Hillwood.

patricialesli@gmail.com

Monday, December 28, 2015

Vintage gowns, jewels, accessories end at Hillwood Jan. 10

Marjorie Merriweather Post wore this gown in celebration of her husband's bestselling book and movie, Mission to Moscow, about their lives in the Soviet Union from 1937 to 1938. Miss Post commissioned the jewels from Cartier/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Darling, for a sumptuous visual feast, you would do yourself (and others of similar persuasion) a favor to visit Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens and luxuriate in Marjorie Merriweather Post's elegant gowns, now the centerpiece of an exhibition, Ingenue to Icon.   

Shoes, parasols, and other accessories complete her outfits in a 20th century fashion history which embrace 70 years of Miss Post's life.

The dresses pictured here are from the first part of the exhibition, no longer on view but changed out for another presentation of gowns which may be seen through January 10. 

They are but a small portion of Miss Post's ensemble of 175 gowns and 300 accessories (of 17,000 objects at the museum) featured in the show which is arranged chronologically.   

A 150-paged color catalogue is available.
This dress (which rotated at the display on a pedestal) opened the first part of the exhibition It's made of silk satin and includes the velvet and fur drape slung/resting on the chair.  For the accompanying 1934 portrait by Frank Salisbury, Miss Post wore a double-strand pearl necklace and Cartier bracelets/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887-1973) was/is a celebrity icon, a socialite, and philanthropist with a net worth of $5 billion (Wikipedia).  

The daughter of the cereal magnate, wife of four, and mother of three daughters (of whom only the youngest, the actress Dina Merrill, survives and celebrates her 92nd birthday December 29),
Miss Post lived in the Soviet Union during 1937 and 1938 with Husband No. 3, Joseph E. Davies who served as the U.S. ambassador under Joseph Stalin.

While in the Soviet Union, the couple's affinity for Russian imperial art developed, aided by their purchases, often at discounted rates, of the things they grew to love.  (Stalin needed the money for his industrialization projects.  This scenario can be compared to the Nazi seizure of masterpieces from Jewish families before and during World War II since some of the Russian art allegedly was taken from murdered royalty and private Russian citizens.)

Outside Russia, Hillwood has the world's largest collection of that nation's imperial art.  (One could only imagine how Vladimir Putin would like to have it back. A point of negotiation?  If he were to visit and ride horseback topless through Hillwood's 25 acres with BFF Donald Trump, consider Hillwood's ticket sales!  This activity is in keeping with both personalities, however, it would run counter to the style, class, and sophistication Miss Post represented so let's forget this possibility and move on.  BTW, in 1985 Mr. Trump bought Miss Post's Palm Beach mansion, Mar-A-Lago. The links are ceaseless.) 
Miss Post wore "my first ballgown" on her 16th birthday, March 15, 1903. Photographs and portraits of her in various apparel complement the garments in the exhibition/Photo by Patricia Leslie
With her two daughters, Adelaide and Eleanor, this 1918 portrait depicts Miss Post in an "afternoon dress"/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Calling Agatha Christie.  This was a "traveling dress" with accessories, circa 1910/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Miss Post's suffragette suit which she wore as a member of the New York State Woman Suffragette Party when the group met with President Woodrow Wilson in Washington on Oct. 25, 1917. The hat on the table reminds me of a big black bird flying in for a landing. (Have you seen the movie, Suffragette?  A must-see.  One of the year's best!) 

If the skirt were a foot shorter or pants, it could have come from the closet of Barbara Bush or Hillary Clinton, don't you think?/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Miss Post's Paris-designed dress was considered daring with its bifurcated skirt, inspired by the Ballets Russes which took Europe and America "by storm" when it performed from 1909 to 1929/Photo by Patricia Leslie
A 1935 Bergdorf Goodman creation in the "Hollywood style"/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Miss Post wore this on Oct. 31, 1957, when in recognition of her long devotion to France, the French ambassador awarded her the cross of the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (the red ribbon sewn to her dress).  During World War I she established a hospital in northern France and in 1955, the bicentennial of Marie Antoinette's birth, helped raise money for Versailles/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Some of Miss Post's gowns/Photo by Patricia Leslie
The white "mermaid dress" was a gown Miss Post wore for the opening of the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in September, 1962. The black "mermaid dress" is Hillwood's most recent addition, given last August by Miss Post's great-grandson, Post Steven Dye.  In the photograph circa 1962 taken at Hillwood, Miss Post wears the dress made of silk crepe,
nylon organza, chiffon, and iridescent sequins.  Miss Post bought Hillwood in 1955/Photo by Patricia Leslie
In 1952 when she was 65, Miss Post wore this gown for the portrait by Douglas Chandor.  It was designed by Ann Lowe, an African American who, in the previous year, created Jacqueline Bouvier's wedding dress for her marriage to John F. Kennedy/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Gowns in Hillwood's dining room/Photo by Patricia Leslie
More Hillwood and Post finery in the mansion, the designs which suggest an adaptation of the Winged Victory of Samothrace/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Nicholas II who served as tsar of Russia from 1894 to 1917 is positioned on the right wall upon entrance to the mansion's Pavilion theater used for after-dinner movies and dancing.  On a nearby piano in the Pavilion are photographs of Nicholas, his wife and five children, all murdered by the Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918.   Will the Russians have a commemoration in their honor for the upcoming centennial of their deaths?/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Another portrait of Nicholas II, also in the Pavilion on the left wall/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Hillwood's north portico where visitors enter/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Hillwood's south portico where visitors dream/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Steps to a Hillwood pond with statuary, all open for visitors' exploration and enjoyment/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Natural beauties found outdoors in the cutting garden/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Many rooms at the Hillwood mansion are open to the public, including upstairs bedrooms and dressing rooms.

See the post on Hillwood's 2011 exhibition of the Posts' wedding dresses.

From the website:
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Garden’s mandate is to preserve the 25 acre estate, museum and gardens that Marjorie Merriweather Post developed to house her important collections of Russian Imperial art, French decorative arts, costumes, textiles, and jewelry and to interpret and present them for the enjoyment of the public.

WhatIngenue to Icon: 70 Years of Fashion from the Collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post

When:  Now through January 10, 2016, including New Year's Day, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sundays, 1 - 5 p.m.  Closed on Mondays.

Where:  Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens "Where Fabulous Lives," 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20008

Suggested donation:  $18 (adults), $15 (seniors), $10 (students), $5 (child, ages 6 -18) and free for those under age 6.

Discount:  When reservations are made online, prices for adults and seniors are reduced $3 for weekday admissions and $1 for weekends. (Click here.)

Members' dogs:  Welcome on Sunday mornings (!)

Parking:  Free, on-site

Biking and walking:  Encouraged; bike racks available.

For more information:  202-686-5807

Metro station: Van Ness/UDC station on the Red Line, then walk a (mostly uphill) mile and burn off Christmas calories.  (Taxis, available.)

Metro bus stop: The L1 or L2 bus stops at the corner of Connecticut and Tilden streets, NW, about a half mile's (mostly uphill) walk from Hillwood.

patricialesli@gmail.com