Stanford White Archive of Correspondence During the Gilded Age in New York City

Four piece correspondence archive, consisting of two autograph manuscripts (unsigned), one from Stanford White, and one from Frederick MacMonnies. And two typed carbon letters (unsigned).

1. Bi-fold autograph manuscript letter 5.5" x 8.5", on letterhead of Hotel Vendome, Paris. Penned in the hand of Stanford White to "Mac" (Frederick MacMonnies) on three pages with final page blank. Small single pencil hole puncture, with tiny chips at corners.


2. Bi-fold autograph manuscript letter, 4.5" x 7". Penned in the hand of Frederick MacMonnies to "White" on three pages with the final page containing a contemporary pencil notation and the beginning of an address. Small separations along folds.


3. Typed letter on carbon paper as a copy, 8" x 10.5", written to "Stanford White", from "E.M.C. White". Slight edgewear, and two small pin holes not affecting text.


4. Typed letter as a copy to "Stanford White", from "Wm R. Stewart". Verso of page contains the letterhead of "McKim, Mead & White, No.1 West 20th Street. New York"

A lovely archive of correspondence, with two pieces from Stanford White and MacMonnies who worked together to essentially create grand architecture in New York during the gilded age. (In the United States the Gilded Age spanned from the 1870s until the early part of the twentieth century).The term Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, as a contemporaneous criticism of the hidden inequality of the age. It was a comment on the splendor and gold harnessed by financial moguls of the time carefully disguising the social problems plaguing the United States.

Rapid industrialization in the Gilded Age brought with it the opportunity for Americans to make their fortune. Some of the wealthiest men in history made their fortunes during the economic boom of the Gilded Age, including such notable figures as J.P. Morgan, William Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, and John D. Rockefeller. In the midst of this period came the emboldened opulence of New York architecture.Stanford White, as a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms, designed many houses for the rich as well as numerous public, institutional, and religious buildings.White excelled at designing gracefully proportioned structures set off by exquisite Italian Renaissance ornamentation, and early on paired up with Frederick MacMonnies who embellished his architectural creations with lavish sculptures.

Shown below in part, are the correspondences between White and MacMonnies, in addition to letters written to White regarding his designs:

Stanford White's autographed letter to MacMonnies:

""Dear Mac,

I am nearly out of my head trying to arrange and settle matters before I leave - It is simply hellish .. in any case you + he + the (illegible) … dine with me thursday night …say at7-30 - … I will get Emily Sadenburg to (illegible) the party - she is a love … will only enable us to do what we want afterward - I will get all the tickets for the theatre but you attend to the dinner … - we will all meet there + do not wait if I am late … let me hear from you""

MacMonnie's autographed letter to Stanford White:

""Dear White

You ask me to be perfectly frank with you I certainly never could be anything else-

I have always wished to do decorations- and when you asked to have that one done I (illegible) decided to do it myself. Now don't be frightened (I can paint as well as I can do sculpture), But I did not realize the devilish hurry you were in. I began sketches in odd moments and have a fine scheme started … If you think it practical I will have painted panels made of simply blue sky and a few clouds- which is always fine … in the mean time I will stain in the Central panel and think it can be done intwo or three months … if you let me do the ceilings I take them on the understanding that I receive no money until completed …""

Wm R. Stewart typed letter to Stanford White:

""… I am in receipt of your letter and in response to its request enclose you my cheque as Treasurer of the Washington Arch Fund … being first payment on account of $4,000 agreed to be paid for models and carving four spandrils …""

E.M.C. White's typed letter to Stanford White:

""…I have recently been to Washington D.C., and gained the interest of the 12,222 members of the Daughters of the American Revolution … Personally I did not like the design you sent over. I want 13 Figures, with Shield and State Arms very prominent, with Central Shaft, or Cross, or something for the whole. In short, I want the story told to every child that passes by the story of the American Revolution. After a goodly sum is gathered, Congress will make an appropriation - after the election. I am asking for $200,000.00. I was the one who assisted in getting that sum from all over the country to purchase Mt. Vernon …""

A lovely archive from a unique period of New York architectural history.

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