During our tour of New England we visited The Breakers mansion in Newport. I had been before in college and just thought it was very cool to see. The house is the former summer home of the Vanderbilt family. It's an example of America's "Gilded Age".
They don't allow photos inside, so you'll have to check out the link above if you're curious. Before we went this time, I told my husband that it reminded me of the Beauty and the Beast Castle with its huge red carpeted staircase as a center piece to the layout.
I listened to the tour a lot more this time than I did when I visited on my school trip. I found their description of the role of women in society during the Gilded Age very interesting. They were the trophies of a man's wealth and the lavish clothes (up to 7 outfit changes a day), homes, and parties were a way to show status. We see this in movies, but it was interesting to hear it discussed as essential to the time. It reminded me of Downton Abby :)
The day we visited was dreary and rainy, which was a little disappointing for our overall Newport experience but seemed to fit the atmosphere of the gardens surrounding the house.
They don't allow photos inside, so you'll have to check out the link above if you're curious. Before we went this time, I told my husband that it reminded me of the Beauty and the Beast Castle with its huge red carpeted staircase as a center piece to the layout.
I listened to the tour a lot more this time than I did when I visited on my school trip. I found their description of the role of women in society during the Gilded Age very interesting. They were the trophies of a man's wealth and the lavish clothes (up to 7 outfit changes a day), homes, and parties were a way to show status. We see this in movies, but it was interesting to hear it discussed as essential to the time. It reminded me of Downton Abby :)
The day we visited was dreary and rainy, which was a little disappointing for our overall Newport experience but seemed to fit the atmosphere of the gardens surrounding the house.
I promise I didn't enhance the color of this moss. It really was electric yellow.
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