This lecture has been postponed until further notice.
In 1900 Edith Wharton burst into the settled summer colony of Lenox, long-frequented by her husband’s gentle, conservative family. Still in her thirties and merely an aspiring novelist, she was already a ferocious aesthete and intellect. Amidst the shingled country houses of the Berkshires, she and Teddy planned a defiantly classical villa. There at The Mount she became a bestselling novelist with The House of Mirth in 1905.
As a hostess, designer, gardener and writer, Edith Wharton set high standards that delighted many – including Ambassador Joseph Choate, and sculptor Daniel Chester French – but she could also alienate potent figures like Emily Vanderbilt Sloane and Georgiana Welles Sargent with her perceptive and sometimes tactless pen.
Presented by Cornelia Brooke Gilder, Berkshire historian and author
The audience is invited to bring a lunch to enjoy during the program.
Tickets available first-come, first-serve on the day of the lecture at the Welcome Center. The audience is invited to bring a lunch to enjoy during the program. Free coffee available. Cookies provided courtesy of Big Y.
