Social History
Social History• April 5, 2011

The April 1987 PEN dinner

Twenty-four years ago this month, at the Metropolitan Club, there was a PEN dinner to beat all previous PEN dinners. It was chaired by Gayfryd Steinberg who was then one of the reigning queens of New Yor...

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PICASSO & PIE DOWN EAST: The Mid-Century in Maine

Social History• March 4, 2011.
I live in a typical little coastal village in eastern Maine — although ‘typical’ depends on one’s perspective. We live amidst achingly beautiful scenery, made only more beautiful by the clear light refracted from the ocean. We have little white houses, and we have big white houses. We have people and institutions: Lobstermen. Ca... READ MORE
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The Pinafore Sails Down East

Social History• January 25, 2011.
Prelude: Pinafore makes the Dilettante long for Cosi I should like Gilbert and Sullivan better than I do. But I don’t. I’m fairly well rounded musically, but I need only to hear the opening strains of “I Am The Captain of The Pinafore,” or “Three Little Maids Are We” (am I the only one reminded […]... READ MORE
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Oil Swells: The Standard Oil Crowd in Palm Beach

Social History• November 30, 2010.
Oil Swells: The Standard Oil Crowd in Palm Beach “Money-mad, money-mad! Sane in every other way, but money-mad.” — Senator Marcus A. Hanna’s 1904 characterization of John D. Rockefeller from The History of Standard Oil, by Ida Minerva Tarbell. As much today as it was yesterday, Palm Beach is an incomparable offshore soci... READ MORE
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Palm Beach Social Diary

Social History• August 25, 2010.
Graceful Living: The Phipps Family in Gulf Stream The polo world’s exclusive old money mystique has waned, for the most part now found amidst sepia photos, bookshelves, anecdotes and rows of silver cups in trophy rooms. But 85 years ago, when the Phipps family conceived and developed Gulf Stream as an exclusive resort sporting center, […]... READ MORE
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THE SUPER CHIEF – “THE TRAIN OF THE STARS”

Social History• August 15, 2010.
From the late 1930s to the 1950s, Hollywood adopted the Super Chief as the primary mode of travel as well as the subject of novels and motion pictures. In MGM’s The Hucksters, a brutal satire on the ad industry, Clark Gable says to another character: “Only talent agents and kept woman ride the Chief. But […]... READ MORE
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Palm Beach Social Diary: Estee Lauder’s PB era

Social History• July 22, 2010.
Forever Young: Estee Lauder’s Palm Beach era Helen Boehm invited Estee out to Wellington for an afternoon at the polo matches when Helen said she told Estee: “You should sponsor a polo team; it would be good for business.” According to Helen, Estee replied, “But what if my team didn’t win.” “MAD MEN” is back... READ MORE
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SS Andrea Doria

Social History• April 22, 2010.
I was initially drawn to the Andrea Doria at the age of 14 after reading the book, Collision Course, by Alvin Moscow. The book tells of the Andrea Doria’s birth, her brief but glorious life, and her tragic end, in the summer of 1956. To me the Andrea Doria embodied the hope and optimism that Italy was searching for after the War. I w... READ MORE
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This Was Then

Social History• February 2, 2010.
The date was December 7, 1987. New York was at the height of its “Nouvelle Society.” The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was holding its annual fundraiser. The evening was called “Dinner with D.V.” Diana Vreeland had joined the museum to organize exhibitions for the Costume Institute in 1971 after being unceremoniously... READ MORE
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This Was Then

Social History• January 4, 2010.
Friday, October 5, 2018. Yesterday was a warm early autumn day in New York with lots of Sun, and some clouds too, and temperatures in the mid- to upper-70s. Although not humidly uncomfortable. There was a brief shower in the early afternoon that left the evening streets shining under the streetlamps and in the headlights. Today […]... READ MORE
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Palm Beach Social Diary: Another Look at Lost Palm Beach

Social History• January 3, 2010.
“We were so young and gay then and we thought we had all the money in the world. It will be sad if the great houses vanish and the Mizner period becomes only a memory and part of Palm Beach’s past rather than its present.” -Billie Burke Despite the heart-felt sentiment, many of the Mizner […]... READ MORE
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This Was Then

Social History• December 7, 2009.
One of the most popular society of fashion photographers in New York of the past quarter century has been Mary Hilliard. Mary started her career after her marriage and her children got to a certain age. Coming from the same part of town in life as many of her subjects, she may have been the […]... READ MORE
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Envisioning Palm Beach: The Addison Mizner Collection at The Society of the Four Arts

Social History• August 26, 2009.
Architect Addison Mizner’s extensive library, volumes that span three centuries, and his design diaries — scrapbooks filled with sketches, watercolors, photographs and ephemera — are noteworthy aspects of the decorative arts collections at The Society of the Four Arts, reflecting Mizner’s influential status as a professional architect and... READ MORE

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