Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
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Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875 – April 18, 1942) was an American
sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the
Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–194 ...
in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, who was born into the wealthy
Vanderbilt family The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthr ...
and married into the
Whitney family The Whitney family is an American family notable for their business enterprises, social prominence, wealth and philanthropy, founded by John Whitney (1592–1673), who came from London, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635. The historic fa ...
.


Early life

Gertrude Vanderbilt was born on January 9, 1875, in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, the second daughter of
Cornelius Vanderbilt II Cornelius "Corneil" Vanderbilt II (November 27, 1843 – September 12, 1899) was an American socialite and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family. Noted forebears He was the favorite grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbil ...
(1843–1899) and
Alice Claypoole Gwynne Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt (; November 11, 1845 – April 24, 1934) was the wife of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and reigned as the matriarch of the Vanderbilt family for over 60 years. Early life and relatives Alice Claypoole Gwynne was born on Novem ...
(1852–1934), and a great-granddaughter of "Commodore"
Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
. Her older sister died before Gertrude was born, but she grew up with several brothers and a younger sister. The family's New York City home was an opulent mansion at 742–748 Fifth Avenue., also known as 1 West 57th Street. As a young girl, Gertrude spent her summers in
Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...
, at the family's summer home,
The Breakers The Breakers is a Gilded Age mansion located at 44 Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, US. It was built between 1893 and 1895 as a summer residence for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, a member of the wealthy Vanderbilt family. The 70-room man ...
, where she kept up with the boys in all their rigorous sporting activities. She was educated by private tutors and at the exclusive
Brearley School The Brearley School is an all-girls private school in New York City, located on the Upper East Side neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan. The school is divided into lower (kindergarten – grade 4), middle (grades 5–8) and upper (grades 9 ...
for women students in New York City. She kept small drawings and watercolor paintings in her personal journals which were her first signs of being interested in the arts.


Education and early work

While visiting Europe in the early 1900s, Gertrude Whitney discovered the burgeoning art world of
Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...
and
Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...
in France. What she saw encouraged her to pursue her creativity and become a sculptor. She studied at the Art Students League of New York with
Hendrik Christian Andersen Hendrik Christian Andersen (17 April 1872 in Bergen – 19 December 1940 in Rome) was a Norwegian-American sculptor, painter and urban planner. Background Andersen was born in Bergen, Norway to parents Anders Andersen from Lærdal and Helene ...
and James Earle Fraser. Other women students in her classes included
Anna Vaughn Hyatt Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (March 10, 1876 – October 4, 1973) was an American sculptor who was among New York City's most prominent sculptors in the early 20th century. At a time when very few women were successful artists, she had a thrivi ...
and
Malvina Hoffman Malvina Cornell Hoffman (June 15, 1885July 10, 1966) was an American sculptor and author, well known for her life-size bronze sculptures of people. She also worked in plaster and marble. Hoffman created portrait busts of working-class people and ...
. In Paris she studied with Andrew O'ConnorOpitz, Glenn B, editor, Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers, Apollo Book, Poughkeepsie NY, 1986 and also received criticism from Auguste Rodin.Friedman, B.H., Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Doubleday and Company New York, 1978 Her training with sculptors of public monuments influenced her later direction. Although her catalogs include numerous smaller sculptures, she is best known today for her monumental works. Her first public commission was ''Aspiration'', a life-size male nude in plaster, which appeared outside the New York State Building at the
Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood A ...
in
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
, in 1901. Initially she worked under an assumed name, fearing that she would be portrayed as a socialite and her work not taken seriously. Neither her family nor (after her marriage) her husband were supportive of her desire to work seriously as an artist. She once told an artist friend, "Never expect Harry to take your work seriously ... It never has made any difference to him that I feel as I do about art and it never will (except as a source of annoyance)." She believed that a man would have been taken more seriously as an artist, and that her wealth put her in a lose-lose situation: criticized if she took commissions because other artists were more needy, but blamed for undercutting the market for other artists if she was not paid. In 1907, Whitney established an apartment and studio in
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
. She also set up a studio in Passy, a fashionable Parisian neighborhood in the XVI arrondissement. By 1910 she was exhibiting her work publicly under her own name. ''Paganisme Immortel'', a statue of a young girl sitting on a rock, with outstretched arms, next to a male figure, was shown at the 1910
National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the f ...
. ''Spanish Peasant'' was accepted at the Paris Salon in 1911, and ''Aztec Fountain'' was awarded a bronze medal in 1915 at the San Francisco Exhibition. Her first solo show occurred in New York City in 1916. The first charity exhibition she organized was in 1914 called the ''50-50 Art Sale''.


World War I and its aftermath

During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Gertrude Whitney dedicated a great deal of her time and money to various relief efforts, establishing and maintaining a fully operational hospital for wounded soldiers in Juilly, about northwest of Paris in France. While at this hospital, Gertrude Whitney made drawings of the soldiers which became plans for her memorials in New York City. Her work prior to the war had a much less realistic style, which she strayed away from to give the work a more serious feeling. In 1915, her brother
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Sr. (October 20, 1877 – May 7, 1915) was a wealthy American businessman, and a member of the Vanderbilt family. A sportsman, he participated in and pioneered a number of related endeavors. He died in the sinking of ...
perished in the sinking of the RMS ''Lusitania''. She completed a series of smaller pieces realistically depicting soldiers in wartime, but her smaller works were not seen as particularly significant during her lifetime. Since her death critics have recognized the expert craftsmanship of her smaller works. File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 1919 Touchstone 190 Chateau Thierry.jpg, ''Chateau Thierry'' File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 1919 Touchstone 189 His Last Charge.jpg, ''His Last Charge'' File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 1919 Touchstone 191 Found.jpg, ''Found'' File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 1919 Touchstone 192 Engineers.jpg, ''Engineers'' In addition to participating in shows with other artists, Whitney held a number of solo exhibitions during her career. These included a show of her wartime sculptures at her Eighth Street Studio in November 1919; a show at the Art Institute of Chicago, March 1 to April 15, 1923; and one in New York City, March 17–28, 1936. The majority of works created in this period of her work were made in her studio in Paris. The
Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–194 ...
held a commemorative show of her works in 1943.


Sculptures from her 1936 Show

File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 1936 Catalog John.jpg, ''John'' File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 1936 Catalog Salome.jpg , ''Salome'' File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 1936 Catalog Gwendolyn.jpg , ''Gwendolyn'' File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 1936 Catalog Woman and Child.jpg , ''Mother and Child'' File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 1936 Catalog frontis.jpg, Untitled File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney 1936 Catalog Sketch.jpg , ''Sketch''


Public sculptures

Following the end of the War, Whitney was also involved in the creation of a number of commemorative sculptures. During the 1920s her works received critical acclaim both in Europe and the United States, particularly her monumental works. During the 1930s the popularity of monumental pieces declined. Whitney's last pieces of public arts were the ''Spirit of Flight'', created for the New York World's Fair of 1939, and the ''Peter Stuyvesant Monument'' in New York City. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's numerous works in the United States include: * ''Aztec Fountain'' – Pan American Union Building, Washington, D.C., 1912 * ''Fountain of El Dorado'' – 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, San Francisco, California * Two reliefs on the ''Victory Arch'' –
Madison Square Madison Square is a town square, public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway at 23rd Street (Manhattan), 23rd Street in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan. The square ...
, New York City, 1918–19 * Washington Heights-Inwood War MemorialMitchell Square Park, Washington Heights, New York City, erected 1922 * '' Buffalo Bill - The Scout'', William F. Cody Memorial –
Cody, Wyoming Cody is a city in Northwest Wyoming and the seat of government of Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after Colonel William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody for his part in the founding of Cody in 1896. The population was 10,066 at th ...
, dedicated 1924 * ''Untermyer Memorial'', Woodlawn Cemetery, New York City, 1925 * ''
The Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution ''The Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution'' is a sculpture located beside Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., United States. Dedicated in 1929, the sculpture was created by artist and socialite Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in ...
'', a memorial honoring the four founders – Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C., dedicated 1929; Gertrude was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. * ''Titanic'' Memorial – Washington, D.C., unveiled 1931 * ''Peter Stuyvesant Monument'', New York City, 1936–1939 * ''To the Morrow'', vt. ''Wings'', vt. ''Spirit of Flight'', created for the World's Fair in New York, 1939 File:'War Panel for the Victory Arch' by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, Wolfsonian-FIU Museum I.JPG, ''Victory Arch'', one of two bronze reliefs, New York City File:Mitchel Square World War I memorial.jpg , Washington Heights-Inwood War Memorial (World War I), New York City File:Titanic Memorial (Washington, D.C.).jpg , ''Titanic'' Memorial, Washington, D.C. File:The Scout by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.jpg , '' Buffalo Bill - The Scout'',
Cody, Wyoming Cody is a city in Northwest Wyoming and the seat of government of Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after Colonel William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody for his part in the founding of Cody in 1896. The population was 10,066 at th ...
File:Monumento a Cristobal Colón, Huelva..JPG , ''
Monument to the Discovery Faith The ''Monument to Columbus'' ( es, Monumento a Colón, links=no), also known as ''Monument to the Discovering Faith'' ( es, Monumento a la Fe Descubridora, links=no), is a monument in Huelva, Spain. It is a work by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Fu ...
'',
Huelva Huelva (, ) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is between two short rias though has an outlying spur including nature reserve on the Gulf of Cádiz coast. The ria ...
, Spain File:The Three Graces - 1931 - Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney - 06.jpg , '' The Three Graces'',
McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
, Montreal,
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, Canada File:Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution cropped.JPG , ''
The Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution ''The Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution'' is a sculpture located beside Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., United States. Dedicated in 1929, the sculpture was created by artist and socialite Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in ...
'', Washington, D.C. File:St-nazaire monument au mort americain.JPG , ''A.E.F. Memorial'', Saint-Nazaire, France File:Stuyvesant Square Peter Styvesant statue.jpg , ''Peter Stuyvesant'', New York City File:Patio and central fountain, Pan American Union.jpg , ''Aztec fountain'', Pan American Union Building, Washington, D.C. File:Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Fountain of El Dorado 1915 Zenis Newton.jpg , ''Fountain of El Dorado'', detail, 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition
Whitney's ''Titanic'' Memorial is considered by critics as the most important achievement in her artistic career. The statue was built from a $50,000 prize from a competition that she won in 1914. Whitney also created works which are now in other countries, including the ''A.E.F. Memorial'' in St. Nazaire Harbor in Saint-Nazaire, France, 1924. The Government of France purchased a marble replica of the head of the Titanic memorial which is now housed in the
Musée du Luxembourg The Musée du Luxembourg () is a museum at 19 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Established in 1750, it was initially an art museum located in the east wing of the Luxembourg Palace (the matching west wing housed the Marie de' ...
. Whitney sculpted the
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
memorial, called "Monumento a la Fe Descubridora" (
Monument to the Discovery Faith The ''Monument to Columbus'' ( es, Monumento a Colón, links=no), also known as ''Monument to the Discovering Faith'' ( es, Monumento a la Fe Descubridora, links=no), is a monument in Huelva, Spain. It is a work by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Fu ...
), in
Huelva Huelva (, ) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is between two short rias though has an outlying spur including nature reserve on the Gulf of Cádiz coast. The ria ...
, Spain, 1928–1933. With a cubist style, it is one of her biggest works. In 1931 Whitney presented the ''Caryatid Fountain'' to
McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
in
Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
, Canada,. The fountain is also referred to as ''The Good Will Fountain'', ''The Friendship Fountain'', ''The Whitney Fountain'', '' The Three Graces'' and because it consists of three nude males, ''The Three Bares''. There is also a bronze version of this fountain in the Washington Square in Lima, Peru.


Influence in art

Her great wealth afforded her the opportunity to become a patron of the arts, but she also devoted herself to the advancement of women in art, supporting and exhibiting in women-only shows and ensuring that women were included in mixed shows. She supported exhibition of artwork both locally and around the country, including the 1913
Armory Show The 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, was a show organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors in 1913. It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America, as well as one of ...
in New York. Whitney also donated money to the
Society of Independent Artists Society of Independent Artists was an association of American artists founded in 1916 and based in New York. Background Based on the French Société des Artistes Indépendants, the goal of the society was to hold annual exhibitions by avant-gard ...
founded in 1917, which aimed to promote artists who deviated from academic norms. She actively bought works from new artists including the
Ashcan School The Ashcan School, also called the Ash Can School, was an artistic movement in the United States during the late 19th-early 20th century that produced works portraying scenes of daily life in New York, often in the city's poorer neighborhoods. ...
. In 1922, she financed publication of ''The Arts'' magazine, to prevent its closing. She was the primary financial backer for the "International Composer's Guild," an organization created to promote the performance of modern music. By 1908, Whitney had opened the ''Whitney Studio Gallery'' in the same buildings as her own studio on West Eighth Street in
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
. Artists such as
Robert Henri Robert Henri (; June 24, 1865 – July 12, 1929) was an American painter and teacher. As a young man, he studied in Paris, where he identified strongly with the Impressionists, and determined to lead an even more dramatic revolt against A ...
and
Jo Davidson Jo Davidson (March 30, 1883 – January 2, 1952) was an American sculptor. Although he specialized in realistic, intense portrait busts, Davidson did not require his subjects to formally pose for him; rather, he observed and spoke with them. H ...
were invited to showcase their works there. In 1914, Gertrude Whitney also established the ''Whitney Studio Club'' at 147 West 4th Street, as an artists' club where young artists could meet and talk, as well as exhibit their works. She provided nearby housing many of them, as well as stipends for living costs at home and abroad. The Whitney Studio Club expanded again when its headquarters were moved back from West Fourth Street to West Eighth Street in 1923. Thus, the club expanded both in size and scope of programming. These early galleries would evolve to become Whitney's greatest legacy, the
Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–194 ...
, on the site of what is now the
New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture at 8 West 8th Street, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York State is an art school formed in 1963 by a group of students and their teacher, Mercedes Matter, all of ...
. In 1929, Whitney offered the New York
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
the donation of her twenty-five-year collection of nearly 700 American modern art works and full payment for building a wing to accommodate these works. Her offer was declined because the museum would not take American art, and in 1931, Whitney decided to create her own museum by renovating and expanding on one of her own studios. Whitney appointed Juliana Force, who was formerly her assistant since 1914, to be the museum's first director. The museum aimed to embrace modernism, shifting away from the notions that American art was largely rural and narrow in scope. A colorful recollection of one of her parties celebrating her artist friends was recounted by the artist
Jerome Myers Jerome Myers (March 20, 1867 – June 19, 1940) was an American artist and writer associated with the Ashcan School, particularly known for his sympathetic depictions of the urban landscape and its people. He was one of the main organizers of the ...
:
Matching it in memory is a party at Mrs. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's, on her Long Island estate, the artists there a veritable catalog of celebrities, painters and sculptors. I can hardly visualize, let alone describe, the many shifting scenes of our entertainment: sunken pools and gorgeous white peacocks as line decorations spreading into the gardens; in their swinging cages, brilliant macaws nodding their beaks at
George Luks George Benjamin Luks (August 13, 1867 – October 29, 1933) was an American artist, identified with the aggressively realistic Ashcan School of American painting. After travelling and studying in Europe, Luks worked as a newspaper illustrator a ...
as though they remembered posing for his pictures of them; Robert Chanler showing us his exotic sea pictures, blue-green visions in a marine bathroom; and Mrs. Whitney displaying her studio, the only place on earth in which she could find solitude. Here the artists felt at home, the Whitney hospitality always gracious and sincere.
Her Greenwich Village studio has been named a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, giving it landmark status. When Whitney died in 1942, the Whitney Museum of American Art was cleared of the debt it owed her and granted $2.5 million of her money.


Personal life

Gertrude had a dear friend named Esther in her youth with whom a number of love letters were uncovered which made explicit the desires both had for a physical relationship that surpassed friendship. Esther was the daughter of Richard Morris Hunt, the architect who had built Gertrude's family home in New York City and summer home—
The Breakers The Breakers is a Gilded Age mansion located at 44 Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island, US. It was built between 1893 and 1895 as a summer residence for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, a member of the wealthy Vanderbilt family. The 70-room man ...
—in Newport, Rhode Island, as well as many of the other Vanderbilts' mansions. Gertrude considered it one of the "''thrills of my life, when Esther kissed me,''" and her mother, Alice, was so concerned about the friendship that she forbade Gertrude to see Esther. The separation seemed to have worked; for while Esther continued to write heartbroken letters of longing, Gertrude went on to have a bevy of male beaux. At age 21, on August 25, 1896, she married the extremely wealthy sportsman
Harry Payne Whitney Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family. Early years Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as the eldest son ...
(1872–1930). A banker and investor, Whitney was the son of politician,
William Collins Whitney William Collins Whitney (July 5, 1841February 2, 1904) was an American political leader and financier and a prominent descendant of the John Whitney family. He served as Secretary of the Navy in the first administration of President Grover Cle ...
, and
Flora Payne Flora Payne Whitney (January 25, 1842 – February 5, 1893) was an American socialite and philanthropist, originally from Cleveland, Ohio who moved to New York City and married into the Whitney family. She was the daughter of Henry B. Payne, a U ...
, the daughter of former U.S. Senator from Ohio,
Henry B. Payne Henry B. Payne (November 30, 1810September 9, 1896) was an American politician from Ohio. Moving to Ohio from his native New York in 1833, he quickly established himself in law and business while becoming a local leader in Democratic politics. ...
, as well as sister to a Standard Oil Company magnate. Harry Whitney inherited a fortune in oil and tobacco as well as interests in banking. In New York, the couple lived in town houses originally belonging to William Whitney, first at 2 East 57th St., across the street from Gertrude's parents, and after William Whitney's death, at 871 Fifth Avenue. They also had a country estate in Old Westbury, Long Island. Gertrude and Harry Whitney had three children: *
Flora Payne Whitney Flora Payne Whitney, also known as Flora Whitney Miller (July 27, 1897 – July 18, 1986), was an American artist and socialite, art collector, and patron of the arts. Early life Flora Payne Whitney was born on July 27, 1897 and raised in Manhatt ...
(1897–1986) *
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Cornelius "Sonny" Vanderbilt Whitney (February 20, 1899 – December 13, 1992) was an American businessman, film producer, government official, writer and philanthropist. He was also a polo player and the owner of a significant stable of Thorough ...
(1899–1992) *Barbara Whitney (1903–1983; 1960, to
George W. Headley George William Headley III (January 8, 1908 – February 7, 1985) was an American jewelry designer, collector, socialite and founder of the Headley-Whitney Museum in Lexington, Kentucky. As a designer, he was known for collaborations with Salvad ...
). Harry Whitney died of pneumonia in 1930, at age 58, leaving his widow an estate valued at $72 million. In 1934, she was at the center of a highly publicized court battle with her sister-in-law,
Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt (born Maria Mercedes Morgan; 23 August 1904 13 February 1965) was an American socialite best known as the mother of fashion designer and artist Gloria Vanderbilt and maternal grandmother of television journalist Anderson ...
, for custody of her ten-year-old niece, Gloria Vanderbilt. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney did win custody of her niece at the end of the custody battle. Gertrude Whitney died on April 18, 1942, at age 67, and was interred next to her husband in Woodlawn Cemetery in
The Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
, New York City. The reported cause of her death was from a heart condition. Her daughter Flora Whitney Miller assumed her mother's duties as head of the Whitney Museum, and was succeeded by her daughter,
Flora Miller Biddle Flora Miller Biddle (born 1928) is an American author, honorary chairman, and former president of the Whitney Museum of American Art, serving from 1977 to 1995. She is the granddaughter of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the founder of the Whitney Mus ...
.


Awards and honors

* Medal of Award at Panama-Pacific Exhibition for ''Fountain of El Dorado'', 1915 * Associate member of
National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members ...
, 1916 * Medal from the New York Society of Architects for the Mitchel Square ''World War I memorial'', 1923 * Honorary degree, New York University, 1922 * Honorary degree, Tufts University, 1924 * Bronze medallion at Paris Salon for ''Buffalo Bill – The Scout'', 1924 *
French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
medal, 1926 * Honorary degree, Rutgers University, 1934 * Elected an honorary member of the
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
, 1934 * Honorary degree, Russell Sage College, 1940 * Associate of
National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the f ...
, 1940 * Medal of Honor of the National Sculpture Society, 1940


In popular culture

In the 1982 television miniseries, '' Little Gloria... Happy at Last'', Whitney was portrayed by actress
Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...
, who earned an Emmy nomination for her performance. In 1999, Gertrude Whitney's granddaughter, Flora Miller Biddle, published a family memoir entitled ''The Whitney Women and the Museum They Made''. She was also the subject of
B. H. Friedman Bernard Harper Friedman (July 27, 1926 – January 4, 2011), better known by his initials, "B. H.," or known as Bob to his friends was an American author and art critic who wrote biographies of Jackson Pollock and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, a ...
's 1978 ''Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney: A Biography''.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Gertrude Vanderbilt 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American women artists 1875 births 1942 deaths American art collectors American art patrons American people of Dutch descent American people of English descent American people of Welsh descent American socialites American women in World War I American women sculptors Art Students League of New York alumni Artists from New York City Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) People associated with the Whitney Museum of American Art People from Greenwich Village Philanthropists from New York (state) Sculptors from New York (state)
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875 – April 18, 1942) was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, ...
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875 – April 18, 1942) was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, ...
Museum founders Women founders