Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875–April 18, 1942) was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, who was born into the United States Vanderbilt family and married into the Whitney family.
Gertrude was born in New York City. She was the eldest surviving daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843–1899) and Alice ...
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Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875–April 18, 1942) was an American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, who was born into the United States Vanderbilt family and married into the Whitney family.
Gertrude was born in New York City. She was the eldest surviving daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt II (1843–1899) and Alice Claypoole Gwynne (1852–1934) and a great-granddaughter of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Gertrude Vanderbilt spent her summers in Newport, Rhode Island, at the family's mansion, The Breakers, where she kept up with the boys in all their rigorous sporting activities. Educated by private tutors and at the exclusive Brearley School in New York City, at age 21 she married the extremely wealthy sportsman Harry Payne Whitney (1872–1930).
A banker and investor, Whitney was the son of William C. Whitney, and his mother was the daughter of a Standard...
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