National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

them as sub-contractors. 1451
Among their most famous commissions were the White House
under the direction of McKim, Mead & White and the Throne Room of the Iolani Palace in
Hawaii. In 1916, Davenport merged with Irving and Casson, who specialized in interior
woodwork.
Georges Glaenzer figures prominently in the interior decoration of Hyde Park,
although his business was very small in comparison to firms such as Allard and Herter Brothers.
Glaenzer was born in Paris in 1847, one of five sons of Jules Glaenzer, a merchant. The family
was originally from Alsace, and their former name was Brilliant. After Alsace ceded to Germany
in 1870, the family name was changed to Glaenzer. Georges Glaenzer was educated at the
University of Paris and the University of Stuttgart. He fought for France in the Franco-Prussian
War and was a member of the French Commission at the Philadelphia Centennial. In 1876,
Georges married Miss Alice Cary Butler of New York, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard A.
Butler. The wedding took place on March 22, 1876 in the American Chapel in Paris. 1452 Richard
Butler was the American representative to Frederic Bartholdi for the Statue of Liberty. 1453
Glaenzer frequently translated Bartholdi's correspondence for his father-in-law as well as being
a personal friend of Bartholdi. 1454
Georges Glaenzer came to the United States in 1874 as a resident partner and
representative of his father's business. 1455 With his father's backing, he set up his own business
as an Importer of Fine Wines, Staples and Fancy Groceries. 1456 Glaenzer did not become
involved in the decorating business until 1883, when he entered into a short-lived partnership
with Henry Edgar Hartwell, a decorator and furniture maker. 1457 By March of 1884, Glaenzer
withdrew from the partnership, taking his small stock of bric-a-brac. 1458
Glaenzer was first listed in the New York City directories in 1885 as a cabinetmaker and
artist. In 1886 he was listed as a decorator located at 41 East 20th Street. That same year he was
also responsible for the decorations and preparations for the unveiling and draping of the Statue
of Liberty and its pedestal. 1459 By 1888, Glaenzer's business ran into trouble. His liabilities
1451
For example: see SW to Whitney Warren, PB 23, 12/21/1899 "When you come to furnish the Yacht
Club, I want you to give Davenport a chance. You know what a lot of Club and Yacht work we have done,
and we have found him infinitely ahead of everyone else in the kind of comfortable furniture you and the
members like."
1452
The Home Journal (March 8, 1876) 3: 2.
1453
For more on Richard Butler and his relationship with Bartholdi see The Statue of Liberty research
conducted by Carole L. Perrault, NPS Files.
1454
The correspondence of the American Committee of the Statue of Liberty, Manuscript Division,
NYPL contains many references to Glaenzer, as well as his translations of Bartholdi's letters. Bartholdi
frequently asked about Glaenzer and his family and mentioned his visits in Paris.
1455
R.G. Dun Ledgers (New York), 283: 2092, R.G. Dun & Co. Collection, Baker Library, Harvard
University Graduate School of Business Administration.
1456
R.G. Dun Ledgers (New York), 283: 2021, R.G. Dun & Co. Collection, Baker Library, Harvard
University Graduate School of Business Administration.
1457
R.G. Dun Ledgers (New York), 257: 3377, R.G. Dun & Co. Collection, Baker Library, Harvard
University Graduate School of Business Administration.
1458
R.G. Dun Ledgers, (New York), 257: 3400, R.G. Dun & Co. Collection, Baker Library, Harvard
University Graduate School of Business Administration.
1459
The World (October 15, 1886).
312