Bill Orzell

Gertrude Whitney:

INNOVATIVE PATRON

WRITTEN BY BILL ORZELL

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney with the clay model of her sculpture 'On The Top.'

Library of Congress Control No. 94508907

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney was a force in the art world, as well known in that environment as her spouse, Harry Payne Whitney, was as a Sportsman.

Mrs. Whitney, descended from the Vanderbilt fortune, and the daughter-in-law of Saratoga savior William C. Whitney, had the means to support causes she championed without needing to consult anyone. She was not only an artist herself, but also a philanthropist and patron. She conceived of many ways to raise funds for Allied War Relief during the First World War, and she staged a competition termed “Indigenous Art” at her famed Whitney Studio in Greenwich Village (which evolved into the Whitney Museum of American Art), involving young sculptors who were given equal amounts of clay, and a shared 48 hour time limit to produce an original design, which would be auctioned to benefit the cause. In addition to the required art supplies and studio space, Mrs. Whitney, whose contributions to the war effort are legendary, provided sumptuous feasts and an unlimited supply of cigarettes, good cigars and liberal quantities of liquor in an effort to produce good times and good works from the artists. She staged a second show where painters were handed a blank canvas, and all they could eat and drink, to create works sold to benefit the war effort. Before the First World War ended, and certainly afterward, Mrs. Whitney created a number of War Memorials. An upstate New York example of her work is installed in the Adirondack Village of Long Lake and is titled “On the Top.” The sculpture depicts the awful conditions of trench warfare, with suffering Doughboys outside of this protected furrow to rescue an injured comrade. The image left depicts the sculptor modeling in clay what would become this work, captured by Jean De Strelecki, one of the photographers she recognized as part of the modern artisans. The photo above shows the actual sculpture, a long revered tribute in Long Lake. A minor, yet significant cultural milestone, was made in 1902 at Saratoga Springs by Gertrude Whitney and her investment partner Ellen Duryea, when they launched the first female racing stable in the United States, under the name of “Mr. Roslyn,” which allowed the fledgling syndicate to conform to the norms of that age. This decision by the two ladies resulted from their interest in Thoroughbreds being demeaned and minimalized by their husbands, Harry Payne Whitney and Herman Duryea, partners in a successful racing enterprise. The August 18, 1902 Saratogian stated, “The latest and most choice bit of racing news was the announcement on Saturday that Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney and Mrs. Herman B. Duryea are to form a racing firm. Mrs. Whitney and Mrs. Duryea are the first women in fashionable life in America to own a racing stable, although in England there have been some. There can be no doubt that when the colors of "Mr. Roslyn," as the new firm will call themselves, first appear upon the tracks they will excite as much attention as the first appearance of any colors that have been borne in races in this country.” Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and Harry Payne Whitney purchased the Cady Hill estate, establishing their family as residents of Saratoga. Their son, C.V. ‘Sonny’ Whitney and their posthumous daughter-in-law, Mary Lou Whitney, perpetuated their legacy. SS