#vanderbilts

Upon their father's death from cirrhosis when Vanderbilt was 18 months old, she and her half-sister became heiresses to a half share each in a $5 million trust fund, equivalent to $74 million in 2020 value. The control of Vanderbilt's share while she was a minor belonged to her mother, who traveled to and from Paris for years, taking her daughter with her. They were accompanied by a beloved nanny—Emma Sullivan Kieslich, whom young Gloria had named "Dodo"—who would play a tumultuous part in the child's life, and her mother's identical twin sister, Thelma, who was the mistress of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) during this time. As a result of her spending habits, her mother's use of finances was scrutinized by the child's paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. A sculptor and philanthropist, Whitney wanted custody of her niece, which resulted in a custody trial. The trial was so scandalous that at times the judge would make everyone leave the room so as to listen to what young Vanderbilt had to say without anyone influencing her. Some people heard weeping and wailing inside the court room. Testimony was heard depicting Vanderbilt's mother as an unfit parent, including an allegation from a maid of a lesbian affair with a member of the British royal family. Vanderbilt's mother lost the battle and Vanderbilt became the ward of her aunt Gertrude.

Above: The famous Vanderbilt Chateau at 57th St. & Fifth Avenue being torn down in 1926. Bergdorf Goodman was built in its stead.

Below, the mansion as it looked in 1908. It had been built in 1893 and modeled after the  Chateau de Blois in France. It boasted 130 rooms and its walls were covered with paintings by  Corot, Millais, Rousseau, Turner, Greuze, and Ruysdael.  Augustus Saint-Gaudens designed a magnificent mantel for the entry hall, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

1926 photo: Larry Froeber for the NY Daily News 1908 photo: LoC

“The Electric Light dress was a masquerade gown made of gold and silver thread that was designed by Charles Frederick Worth for Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt. It was made for a masquerade ball that was held in New York City on March 26, 1883. The ball was hosted by Alice Vanderbilt's sister-in-law, Alva Vanderbilt, as a housewarming party for Alva and William K. Vanderbilt's new mansion at 660 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.” - ELECTRIC LIGHT DRESS

"The dress had a built-in battery lit a light bulb she carried, which she could raise over her head like the Statue of Liberty." She wore it in 1883, but the SoL was not yet completed in France and it wouldn't be unveiled in NY until 1886? So WTF?

UPDATE: Explained by Jake Brown.