Early Life
She was born in Manhattan in 1865, or thereabouts, and died in Versailles in 1950. Elsie de Wolfe, later Lady Mendl, was raised under the weight of high-Victorian sensibilities. Given all the opportunities afforded to her class, she was educated at a prestigious girls school, then swiftly shipped off to well-connected relations in Scotland for ‘finishing’. Before returning to New York, she was presented at Court to Queen Victoria, the very person for whom this era of oppressive decoration, which Elsie despised, was named.
Boston Marriage
By the 1880’s Elsie was working as a not-too-successful actress on the stages of Broadway. It’s during this time that she meets a commanding woman ten years her senior named Elisabeth “Bessie” Marbury. Bessie was born into one of oldest and most prominent society families. By the time Elsie had met her she was a world famous theatrical agent and producer, working with George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, and Cole Porter. The couple took up home together in Irving Place, the place to live for artists, actors, and society. Located adjacent to Union Square, which was, at the time, the center of theater life. The couple lived in this home nearly two decades, hosting Sunday afternoon salons for their set of connected and creative friends, including Stanford White, Sarah Bernhardt, Ethel Barrymore, and, of course, Oscar Wilde.
Mother of Interior Decoration
As Bessie’s career soared, Elsie’s puttered along at a steady pace. She was never greatly acclaimed as an actress, but continued to be cast in roles. Perhaps telling of how her work was received, one critic called her, “the leading exponent of the peculiar art of wearing good clothes well”. Not a particularly rave review of her acting skills, but a clear sign of her influence of style. It was during this time that Bessie encouraged her to redecorate their townhouse. Inspired by the theater sets, her annual travels to Paris, and her staunchly anti-Victorian sentiment, Elsie set to work. She white-washed all of the dark wood, tossed out the heavy upholstery and window covers, and decluttered the space. What resulted was a thoroughly modern and refreshing take on interiors. She’s quoted as saying, “I believe in optimism and plenty of white paint, comfortable chairs with lights beside them, open fires on the hearth, and flowers wherever they belong.”.
“Advice to aspiring young decorators: find a rich client.” -Elsie de Wolfe
The renovation of their townhouse received plenty of positive attention from the Gilded Age glitterati who attended their weekly salon. It was through these connections , and support from Stanford White, that Elsie was given the opportunity to decorate The Colony Club. During a time when men of the four hundred belonged to prestigious private social clubs, The Colony Club was the first to be created by women and for women only. Marbury herself along with friends Madeleine Astor, Anne Vanderbilt, Anne Morgan, and Payne Whitney were among the founders. Elsie brought her fresh style, soon to become her signature, to the project creating something that would strike the interests of women with the connections and means necessary to catapult Elsie into decorating stardom. And that’s just want happened. Shortly after completing this project, Elsie petitioned for, and got, the job of creating 14 rooms in the Frick mansion on Fifth Avenue. This, in turn, led to many more lucrative decorating commissions as well as acclaim in the national press.
“She mixes people like a cocktail, and the result is pure genius.” -Wallis Simpson
During a trip to Paris in 1903, Elsie and Bessie discovered a dilapidated building on the grounds of Versailles, Villa Trianon, and decided to buy it. Elsie not only restored it, but used it as a sort of decorating lab in which to try out new ideas. When not working, she hosted grand parties for the likes of Coco Chanel, Noel Coward, Cecil Beaton, Douglas Fairbanks, and Wallis Simpson.
World War I
During WWI Elsie served in France as a nurse, and offered her Villa Trianon up as hospital for wounded soldiers. Embracing the excitement and optimism after the war, she returned to New York where her business continued to flourish. She started to incorporate more fantasy and boldness into her decorating schemes —animal prints, strong black and white patterns, and a more eclectic mixture of furniture styles. At this time she also started to focus primarily on clients with more star quality such as Condé Nast and Cole Porter. And, in a somewhat shocking twist she married British diplomat Sir Charles Mendl in 1926 (she was 61). Although, they lived mostly independent lives in separate homes coming together only for parties and appearances.
World War II
At the onset of the war Elsie and Charles, who had been living at the Villa Trianon, decided it would be a good idea to return to America. This time they landed on the shores of the west coast, purchasing a home in Beverly Hills that she named ‘After All’. She enlisted the help of a young artist and set designer, none other than the now-famed Tony Duquette, to help her with creating custom pieces for the home. When not entertaining tinseltown elite such as Gary Cooper, Rudolph Valentino, Fred Astaire, George Cukor, and Greta Garbo, Elsie served as an advisor for set decoration at Warner Bros.
“It needs a stout heart to live without roots” -Erich Maria Remarque
After the war Elsie returned to Versailles. Her beloved home had been badly treated by the SS officers who had occupied it. She quickly restored it with the help of Tony Duquette. And, for the next few years she would split her time between After All and Villa Trianon. Just before her death she hosted her last party for a couple dozen guests including the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
The End
In 1950 Elsie de Wolfe died at the Villa Trianon. She lived a long and exciting life bridging the old world with the new. Her work has inspired and influenced decorators and designers since, whether they are aware of it or not.
