Press release from Biltmore House:
If you’ve ever wondered what it would have been like to be a guest of the Vanderbilts during their years living in Biltmore House at the turn of the 19th century, your chance is coming soon.
Beginning Feb. 9, 2019, Biltmore House becomes the scene of a festive celebration hosted by the Vanderbilts in a new exhibition, A Vanderbilt House Party: Guests, Grandeur & Galas. For many years, Biltmore’s curators have researched what it was like when the Vanderbilts entertained guests at Biltmore House. Using information gleaned from letters, photographs and documents in the Vanderbilt archives, the curatorial team has created an experience that will put today’s visitors into the action of the time when George and Edith Vanderbilt extended their boundless hospitality to family and friends. The exhibit will run through May 27, 2019.
Clothing vignettes in Biltmore House, paired with storytelling in a new audio-guided tour (free with all online ticket purchases) that uses innovative 360-degree sound techniques, will draw listeners into the preparations for a celebration in Biltmore House. The narration is based on those who lived and worked in Biltmore House, and features a butler recounting the leisurely days and glamorous evenings the Vanderbilts’ guests enjoyed. Visitors will listen in on staff as they work to prepare a grand multi-course dinner; as an opera singer rehearses before her evening performance; and as servants set an elaborate table in the Banquet Hall with family china, silver, and crystal.
The new clothing vignettes are based on the Vanderbilts’ actual wardrobes and were specially reproduced for this exhibition. Oscar-winning costume designer John Bright created the items with inspiration from archival photographs and portraits in Biltmore’s collection. Biltmore has partnered with Bright and his London-based company Cosprop for all of its costume exhibitions, including “Dressing Downton,” which featured Bright’s creations for the wildly popular series “Downton Abbey.”
Tasked with bringing vivid color to scenes previously only seen in century-old black-and-white photos, Bright worked with the estate’s curators to research fashion magazines of the era and studied the photography in great detail. Each piece will be displayed in locations of Biltmore House where it was originally worn, paired with the photograph from the Vanderbilt archives that inspired it.
A Vanderbilt House Party is included in Biltmore daytime admission; the premium audio-guided exhibition tour is free with online ticket purchases or can be purchased onsite for an additional fee.
To learn more about this new exhibit at Biltmore, as well as how to purchase tickets, visit www.biltmore.com.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.