National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

The Gilded Age and Country Places
accent. . . . There was also the expected devotion to the horse, which manifested itself in
the Berkshire Hunt and in an annual horse show. 110
Also unlike Newport, where the social schedule governed every moment, there was time in the
Berkshires to enjoy sports and other leisure activities.
Newport was the earliest place that a number of opulent seaside cottages appeared in the
Gilded Age. 111 Newport was unique in the large number of costly houses that were built in a
short period of time and in very close proximity. Indeed, this closeness also reflected the social
scene, which was basically open only to those who either owned or rented the large "cottages."
The short social season lasted only from June through July and required considerable energy
and resources. In contrast to other country estates during the Gilded Age, visitors were not an
integral part of the social machinery of Newport.
Newport's peculiar position rests upon an exclusiveness whose foundation is riches. The
splendor of the cottages, the brilliance of the social functions, and the struggles of the
ambitious to get into society, exemplify this condition of affairs. Now Newport means
endless and brilliant functions, balls, dinners, routs, all the exaggerated festivities that
inventive minds can suggest in a rushing, headlong pursuit of pleasure. Everything must be
gilded, or refined in the crucible of vanity. And the result is a form of slavery that is most
dangerous in the world, because it is voluntary. 112
Another distinction of the Newport cottages was the generally small plots of land on
which they were constructed. This resulted in an absence of many features that came to define
gilded-age estates including farms and leisure-oriented structures such as tennis courts. Despite
this, Newport still set a standard for magnificence, luxury, and sheer costliness. The Vanderbilts
were drawn to Newport. At one time or another many family members including Cornelius,
William K., Frederick, Florence, and others had Newport houses. Indeed, several of the most
spectacular mansions were built by Frederick Vanderbilt's generation. Marble House, designed
by Richard Morris Hunt for William K. and Alva Vanderbilt was an excellent example of the
formal French grandeur of the period, based on the Petit Trianon at Versailles. The pervasive
use of lavish materials including acres of marble and gilding clearly announced the social agenda
and wealth of the Vanderbilts. The Breakers, also designed by Richard Morris Hunt, was built
for Cornelius II and Alice Vanderbilt. The style of the house was derived from Genoese
architecture of the Renaissance. It had the distinction of being the largest mansion in Newport,
which it achieved with impressive monumentality. Florence Vanderbilt Twombly's house was
called Vinland. Frederick and Louise also had a house in Newport for a short time called Rough
Point, designed by the Boston firm Peabody and Stearns. While they entertained for a couple of
110 Foreman and Stimson, 134-5.
111 Desmond and Croly, 422.
112 Hartley Davis, "Magnificent Newport," Munsey's Magazine 23 (1900): 473. Davis goes on to say,
"Newport is the only summer resort in America that is fashionable and exclusive. . . Those who compose
this colony pay a heavy price for the place it occupies. It costs millions in money and robs them of
freedom, the most precious thing in the world. There is no rest in Newport. Where men and women
should be content to breathe the good air, laze about in the sunlight, play in the surf, sleep the cool nights
through, and take no heed of time, the refinements of a curious civilization have made them slaves of the
clock. They must go to the bathing beach at a certain time, or to the Casino, have luncheon at the minute,
go driving at exactly the same hour every day, dine and then seek some evening function. All day long
they are on dress parade, and the women must devote at least a third of their time to changing their
gowns." (Davis, "Magnificent Newport," 474-5.)
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