Absolutely Incredible

This is a photo of The Breakers, one of those 'summer cottages' out in Newport. You've heard the phrase 'Newport in season'? Well, the season where these absolutely incredible mansions were occupied consisted of a mere eight to ten weeks a summer. Yep. That's it.

The Society of 400, as coined by Mrs. Astor, were some of society's wealthiest and influential movers and shakers at the turn of the last century. In this instance, the home was the summer residence of Cornelius Vanderbilt II. He and the family picked up, packed up the house in New York (with the help of some 40 staff of course) and trekked out to the summer house to see and be seen.

You know, this place was beyond words. It's hard enough to conceive that the house was built in just 19 months, but what is harder to wrap the mind around is the sheer opulence. OMG. I could sit here for the next hour and barely touch on the highlights of the mansion without doing justice to the exquisite beauty and masterpiece of some of the rooms. Indescribable. Let's just say it took my breath away.

Now, what really is hard to fathom, is the society of the age. Knowing this house was a second home for a wealthy industrialist is one thing, but the grandeur and presence of the place coupled with a knowledge of the money that was involved in terms of a 1900's dollar is a staggering thing to process. Now think about that in terms of the common man making cents a day during that era. Blows the mind.

I think probably Donald Trump would be the one person in today's America who could compete with this type of over the top estate. Oh, sure, there are stars worth a pretty penny and I'm sure there are other billionaires that just don't make as big a show of their wealth, but frankly, I don't think such art and craftsmanship exists in this America. Today's world is all about the techno gadgets.

The America at the turn of the prior century was all about art and culture. The Breakers is a sterling example of that. It's a slice of history frozen in time.