Luxury Yacht Interiors, 1870-1920 As a Reflection of Gilded Age Social Status
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Luxury Yacht Interiors, 1870-1920 as a Reflection of Gilded Age Social Status Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By M. Lynn Barnes, M.A. Graduate Program in Textiles and Clothing The Ohio State University 2010 Dissertation Committee: Professor Patricia A. Cunningham, Adviser Professor David Steigerwald Professor Susie Zavotka Copyright by M. Lynn Barnes, M.A. 2010 Abstract This dissertation is based on six leading families in the United States, their mansions and their yachts. They experienced status through consumption of luxury goods, especially in decorating their homes. The thesis of this study is that it appears that yacht owners borrowed interior design ideas of their homes to decorate the interiors of their yachts. Their purpose was to enhance and maintain a presentation of status while at sea. It is assumed that yacht interiors from 1870 to 1920 were an extension of house interiors, reflecting the owner’s status, specifically in the use of textiles. The luxury yachts were extravagant symbols of the wealth, taste, and social power of their owners and were paraded as a statement of social status. The consumption of luxury products and an overt demonstration of leisure were part of the lifestyle that Gilded Age industrials and financiers strove to obtain. Luxury yachts were used as a tool, either through sport, cruising or extravagant entertaining, to promote the apparent well-being of the family. The three eras of yachting during the Gilded Age were: schooner-yachts, auxiliary-yachts and steamer yachts. This study will examine the interiors and textiles of mansion drawing rooms and luxury yachts at each phase of development, and whether or not they were transferred to the yacht’s main saloon as a statement of social status. ii Four specific topics will be addressed. These are: developments in the Gilded Age that gave rise to elite Americans’ desire for extravagance in luxurious home interiors, the rise of the American parlor as a status prototype, evaluation of the auxiliary activities that supported yachting as a social status statement and the technological advances that promoted luxury yacht, and home interiors. ii Dedication This work is dedicated to Joseph Sewell, who was my principal at Piner High School in Santa Rosa, California, 1992. His wise and timely counsel of “you are going to do as you have planned” set my feet on the path to graduate studies and career promotions. His encouragement was critical to my success and I would not have pursued and completed graduate studies, had it not been for his advice. Thank you, Joe. iii Acknowledgements My sincerest gratitude goes to Dr. Patricia A. Cunningham, my advisor. Your direction, patience and fortitude through the processes of course work, research, exams and writing were stellar and you set a high standard for those that follow in your path. Thank you. My committee members, Dr. David Steigerwald and Dr. Susie Zavotka both deserve applause and commendation for your insightful recommendations and guidance from the planning stages to the completion. Your areas of expertise laid the foundation for this project and enhanced my understanding. Not only did I enjoy your classes, but I considered it a privilege to know you. My research included visits to many maritime research librarys and museums. The collections and reference materials held at the Frick Museum of Fine Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morgan Library, the Newport County Preservation Society, and the Rosenfeld Collection and Blunt Library at Mystic Maritime Museum were extremely helpful. Librarians and curators at each of these locations are greatly appreciated for their assistance. Two people in particular were vital to the completion of this work, Lindsay Shuckhart, curator at the New York Yacht Club and Susan Daley, the Development & Marketing Director of the Coronet Project at the International Restoration Yacht School. iv Their wisdom, availability and access to their collections and archives proved invaluable in locating primary sources that were necessary for the completion of this work. A project this size requires the unfailing support of family and friends. My parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews were consistent in their encouragement, and prayers. Thank you, each one, for your participation in this adventure. The conversations with my friends and colleagues, especially Mixon and Joycelyn eased many a distraught evening. Thank you for your support and encouragement. To Tim, the brother I never got, but I am so glad I found. You helped me see the rainbow in the midst of the rainstorm. From “Let me show you an old boat,” to the very last period, you helped keep the schooner on course. I am grateful for your tenacity and belief in my success. My sweetheart, Christopher, deserves special recognition. Everyday, your prayers, counsel, encouragement, support, friendship and love were necessary for the completion of this work. My world is a far superior place to live in because of you. Thank you sweetheart. v Vita June 2010 Ph.D. in Textiles and Clothing Major: Historic Dress The Ohio State University, OH May 1999 M.A. in Family and Consumer Studies/Dietetics Major: Clothing and Textiles, International Emphasis San Francisco State University, CA June 1986 B.A. Family and Consumer Sciences Major: Home Economics Education San Diego State University, CA Fall 2008-present Assistant Professor, Historic Costume and Dress West Virginia University, WV Courses taught: Historic of Fashion, Applied Historic Dress, Introduction to Fashion Business, Fashion in the Media, Basic Construction, Global Issues and Fashion, Fashion Merchandising Portfolio Presentation, New York Study Tour. 2006 – 2008 Assistant Professor, Fashion Retail and Merchandising Eastern Kentucky University, KY Courses taught: Introductory Apparel Production, Advanced Apparel Design, Introduction to Apparel Design and Merchandising, Apparel and Textile Global Sourcing, Apparel Retail and Merchandising, Visual Merchandising and Display, Fashion Illustration, Museum Fieldwork and Historic Research, Vintage Fashion Show, 1800-1830. 2000 – 2004 Assistant Professor, Fashion Merchandising and Design Bluffton University, OH Courses taught: Management Home Residency, Textile Sciences, Beginning and Advanced Apparel/Textile Product Design, Historical Analysis of Costumes and Design, Human Ecology, Interior Space Planning and Materials, Functional Apparel and Textile Product Design, Work and Family Life Education Programs, Theatrical Costuming I and II. vi Fields of Study Major Field: Clothing and Textiles vii Table of Contents Abstract . .. ii Dedication . iv Acknowledgments . v Vita . vii List of Tables . xv List of Figures . xvi Chapter 1: Introduction to a Comparison of Gilded Age Yachts and Mansions . 1 Research Question . 4 Statement of Purpose . 5 Objectives . 5 Background . 6 Status in the Gilded Age . 6 The Yacht as Conspicuous Consumption . 10 Limitations of the Study . 11 Rationale . 13 Sources and Scope of the Study . 14 Textiles as Status. 15 viii Methodology. 17 Analysis of Photographic Data . 18 Chapter Contents . 29 Definition of Terms . 38 Chapter 2: The Rise of the American Aristocracy: Emulations of European Social Status and their Effect on American Home Interiors . 40 Late Nineteenth-Century Social and Financial Developments . 42 New Families of Wealth . 43 Houses and Furnishings as Status Symbols . 48 Parlors and Status . 53 The Influence of the British Parlour and British Designers . 57 The Influence of the French Salon and the Rise of American Designers . 71 Chapter 3: The Rise of the American Home Parlor as Status Prototype for Private Luxury Yacht Saloons. 89 Status Ashore — The American Home Parlor . 89 Status Afloat – The American Yacht Saloon . 93 Status through Textiles in the Parlor and on the Yacht . 94 Parlor Furnishings . 95 Textiles . 96 Fabric Production . 104 Status in Professions – Architecture, Interior Design, and American Yachting . 122 The Rise of American Architects and Interior Designers . 123 ix Influence of Interior Design on Homes . 139 Influence of Interior Design on Yachts . 142 Chapter 4: Reflections of Social Status in Gilded Age Yachting Associations, Activities, and Publications . 145 The Expense of Yacht Ownership . 148 The Development of Yacht Clubs . 154 The Royal Yacht Squadron . 157 The New York Yacht Club . 159 The Club House. 166 Yacht Club Yearbooks and Rosters. 169 Auxiliary Industries, Businesses, and Social Events . 171 Regatta Balls . 171 Yacht Racing . 173 Cowes Week . 174 America’s Cup . 176 Yachting Sportsmanship . 181 Etiquette of Yachting . 182 Other Yachting Trophies . 183 Maritime Art. 185 Maritime Photography . 190 x Yachting Ephemera . 202 Yachting Images in Magazines . 211 Yachting Publications . 217 Chapter 5: The Lineage of Royal Yachts, Yacht Designers and Supporting Technologies of the Gilded Age Luxury Yacht . 219 Luxury Yachting Historical Background . 220 Royal Yachts . ..