maximios

By Skip Moskey Anderson House (1905) in Washington, D.C. From the moment Gilded Age guests arrived at this imposing mansion on the capital’s prestigious Massachusetts Avenue, they knew they were about to spend an evening with important and interesting people. (Photo by Skip Moskey.) Anderson House in Washington, D.C., the winter home of Larz and […]

February 7, 2016 skipmoskey The lives and stories of many Gilded Age personalities weave their way in and out of the great narrative of the Andersons’ lives told in my biography of the couple: Larz and Isabel Anderson: Wealth and Celebrity in the Gilded Age.  One of the most interesting people I came across while writing […]

A Gorinto is the Japanese interpretation of a type of Buddhist pagoda used as a memorial or burial marker. Larz and Isabel Anderson saw many of these on their trips to Japan and purchased one for their estate in Brookline, MA.  Their estate is now the Larz Anderson Park. A Gorinto has five levels, each with […]

By Skip Moskey The following books on Washington social and architectural history are part of my ready-reference shelf at home.  The book on American House Styles by Baker, though not specifically about Washington, is one of the best available. John Milnes Baker, A.I.A.. 1994. American House Styles: A Concise Guide (New York: W.W. Norton) Kathryn Allamong Jacob. […]

“Cathedral américaine de Paris” (ca. 1900) by Jean Béraud (1849-1935) Larz and Isabel Anderson loved visiting Paris and often spent a few weeks at a time there on their way to and from other destinations.  When they were in Paris, they attended services at what is known popularly as the American Cathedral in Paris. The American […]

“Open the Door of Your Heart” from Isabel Anderson’s operetta Marina (1932) Words and music by Grace Warner Gulesian Performed by Antoine Palloc (Paris, France) [Sheet music for “Open the Door of Your Heart” is linked below.] Open the door of your heart dear, For love stands waiting outside. Pray leave the portals ajar dear, […]

My copy of Presidents and Pies, by Isabel Anderson (1920) While I was writing my biography of Larz and Isabel Anderson, I discovered hundreds of  “rabbit holes” that, had I decided to go down into, could have added years to the time it took to write it.  (Rabbit holes have been described by one New Yorker writer as something […]

My copy of Presidents and Pies, by Isabel Anderson (1920) While I was writing my biography of Larz and Isabel Anderson, I discovered hundreds of  “rabbit holes” that, had I decided to go down into, could have added years to the time it took to write it.  (Rabbit holes have been described by one New Yorker writer as something […]

Larz Anderson was a collector of many things, including several dozen fine old motor cars  – from an 1899 Winton Phaeton that he named ‘Pioneer’ (motto: It Will Go!) to a 1926 Lincoln Seven Limousine, ‘The Emancipator’ (motto: Son Courage Fait sa Force/His Courage is his Might).  Larz was, however, as avid a collector of horse-drawn carriages as he […]

By Skip Moskey Ambassador and Mrs. Larz Anderson, 1924, by Philip de László. The Andersons were among Washington’s most glamorous couples. Everything about them was glamorous: their homes, their clothing, their art, and their style. (Photo by Skip Moskey.) In Part 1 of this two-part series, I reviewed the relationship between the architectural form and […]

Alice Pike Barney (1857-1931) was a wealthy Washington socialite who was not just a patron of the arts, but also an accomplished artist herself.  She did not fit, nor did she want to fit, any stereotype.  She once described life in Washington as “small talk and lots to eat, an infinite series of teas and dinner.”  When she […]

In 1877, when Larz Anderson was 11 years old, his parents moved the family from Cincinnati to Paris, where they lived in an apartment at No. 5 rue d’Antin, a block from the Seine river. The beautiful limestone town house (hôtel particulier in French) is still standing, though the address is now No. 5 avenue […]

My copy of Presidents and Pies, by Isabel Anderson (1920) While I was writing my biography of Larz and Isabel Anderson, I discovered hundreds of  “rabbit holes” that, had I decided to go down into, could have added years to the time it took to write it.  (Rabbit holes have been described by one New Yorker writer as something […]

One of the Gilded Age’s most celebrated personalities was Isabella Stewart Gardner, known affectionately during her lifetime by friends and strangers alike as “Mrs. Jack.”  Isabella and her husband John L. “Jack” Gardner make several appearances in the new biography, Larz and Isabel Anderson: Wealth and Celebrity in the Gilded Age. The connections between the Gardner and […]