It is glorious in Newport any time of the year, but especially at Christmas! And with all the attention “The Gilded Age” series has garnered I thought I’d begin my posts a bit earlier than past years…you won’t be disappointed, I hope (wink, wink).

This week I’m featuring Marble House, the Newport cottage just down the street. Not only is this a gorgeous example of the decorating talents of the Preservation Society of Newport County, stewards of this mansion, but it is also the former home of Consuelo Vanderbilt, who married the 9^th Duke of Marlborough…and moved to a much larger home in England at Blenheim Palace. Newport has been a great source of inspration for Mr. Fellowes! As you scroll through these images, let me refresh your memory a bit on the fascinating, real life tale of this, one of the many heiresses in the Gilded Age era to be married off to English and European nobility.

Consuelo was the great-granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, who established the family’s fortune in steamships and the New York Central Railroad. And her uncle was Cornelius II, who built The Breakers. Both of her brothers, William K. Jr., a prominent figure in pioneering the sport of auto racing in America, and Harold, one of the finest yachtsmen of his era who successfully defended the America’s Cup three times, established their credentials early on. 

But it was Consuelo who was chosen to firmly establish the family’s social credentials by securing an English aristocratic title. Her mother, Alva, was nothing if not persistent on the subject, rumor having it that she went so far as to lock her daughter in her room until she capitulated to an arranged marriage with the 9^th Duke of Marlborough. The nuptials took place in 1895, after her dowry had been settled upon (worth almost $100 million in today’s money).

Consuelo’s was the most prominent and storied example during the Gilded Age of enterprising social ambition on the part of newly wealthy parents. Among the many American heiresses married off to British aristocracy, Consuelo’s title carried the highest ranking of these “Dollar Princesses,” but proved to be a loveless marriage common during this period. Nonetheless, she reigned as the Duchess of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace, noteworthy as the only non-royal palace in Britain. After ten years and two heirs, she and the Duke separated and were eventually divorced.

Marble House was built between 1888 and 1892 for William K. and Alva Vanderbilt and designed by leading architect of the day, Richard Morris Hunt. This “Temple to the Arts”, as described by Alva, was a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport’s subsequent transformation from a quiet summer colony of wooden houses to the legendary resort of opulent stone palaces.

Among its many attributes is the 500,000 cubic feet of marble that provided the home’s moniker. Stunningly elegant throughout the year, it is breathtaking when dressed for Christmas. All images attest to this point, but the “small” ballroom (below) is my favorite, deliciously making sense of the saying that “more is never enough.”

And this is just the beginning…stay tuned for many more yummy images and intriguing stories as I celebrate a Gilded Age Christmas, Newport-style.