By Nancy Armitage
My research partner, Marina Felix, & I found this Star News (Pasadena, CA) newspaper article in the Huntington Collection (Huntington Library San Marino, CA). The article titled, “Treasures of Huntington home sold – Notable works in belongings -” is dated March 10, 1926. Andersen Galleries had sold Mrs. Huntington things for 3 yrs, 1926 was the last year selling her treasures. Collis P. Huntington had died in 1900 & Mrs. Henry E. Huntington (Arabella) once was Mrs. Collis P. Huntington died in 1924.
Thru her son, Archer M. Huntington from the Huntington Mansion on No. 2 East 57th Street & 5th Ave. NYC, NY. When Mrs. Arabella Huntington died in 1924 & Archer Huntington had a huge task. He inherited mansions & 1000’s of treasures, bought by the Huntingtons on her European travels. He want to sell of these things so he could enrich his Spanish Museum – Hispanic Society of America (Now called Hispanic Museum in New York City). Some of the items we have seen in the Andersen Galleries Catalog of the sales of Mrs. Arabella Huntington numerous collections, like porcelain, silver, rugs, & English dish ware.
These interesting & international pieces of Mrs. Arabella Huntingtons are storied treasures & quite global from her vast travels. It shows Mrs. Huntington’s interest in so many cultures & memories of places she visited. If you view each of the items, they all tell an interesting story. I think Arabella liked a good story. Think of the Movie, “Out of Africa”, & how Karen (Streep) was a fantastic story teller with her wonderful made-up stories to her 2 friends (Robert Redford).
In Mrs. Arabella Huntington’s objects d’art, each with their story to tell might be represented in symbols or animals, birds, or swags of flowers. There might be primitive animals & trees in a rug; on a dinner plate (Below) there are shells (Ocean) & birds (Nature) & harps (Music). The Huntingtons interesting objects had a lot of layers, colors & textures. Whether it be symbols on porcelain plates or rugs. It also shows what good taste she had. When I research her pretty things she owned, they are always, top quality, one plate cost $1,000.00 (1926). Always rare, always unusual, or one of a kind, which made her collections even more valuable.
English Porcelain
“A rich [Royal] Crown Derby dinner service of 121 pieces is in blue, white & gold & red” [Probably Imari Japanese in style, possible patterns: #1128 or #2451]
2 urn-shaped Crown Derby [Royal Crown Derby] vases, 39″ tall, are a rich ruby, painted in panels in mythological subjects.
“A tall Worcester ewer-shaped vase in biscuit china, decorated in gold & pastel tones, has satyr masks & a looped handle.
“There are lovely Minton jardinières, bowls & vases & 2 stately urn-shaped Minton vases with deep olive ground, having white pate sur pate decorations.”
Italian Porcelain
“Capo di Monte pieces in white porcelain are Jupiter with eagle & thunderbolt & Juno with scepter & peacock.” [statues] Historical Note: If you look at B/W photos of the No. 2 “Main Hall” with the primitive paintings there are velvet curtains covering two doorways (to not let the cold air in). They are 3 glass curio cabinets to show off Mrs. Arabella Huntington lovely statue – travel treasures. Another story to be told of the Huntingtons memories of a trip to Europe & where they bought their treasures. Some symbols on the statues are birds, animals, & figurines.
French Porcelain
“A French Faience Figure, “The Spirit of the Wind” has the Claude Reverend mark on its base.” [located at the Legion of Honor San Francisco, CA now]
Chinese Porcelain
“”A Ming Celadon [minty green] vase, circa 1600, has panels with underglaze blue & red landscapes. 2 Ming barrel like garden seats are mounted in Louis XIV period ormolu for console table jars.”
Meissen Porcelain
“Charming groups of Meissen porcelain include 2 1750 German figures, a woman & man, each with a guitar, in brilliant colors and glaze.”
Hochst Pottery
“A Hochst pottery group is a milking maid and a boy in crimson breeches.”
Silver & Sheffield Plate & George II Silver
“A complete [Gorham silver] sterling monogrammed silver dinner service of 500 pieces for 24 persons is by Gorham.” Most likely the monograms were either “CPH” or “HEH” or just plainly “H” for Huntington. There were 500 silver pieces seems like a lot, but remember the multi-course dinners hosted by the Huntingtons. For each guest, there might have set up on the table with: 1 shrimp fork, 4 larger forks for the fish course, salad, entrée & game fork, butter knife for bread, 2 knives for fish & entrée, soup spoon, coffee or demitasse spoon. That is just 11 silver pieces for each guest. Check below on how they used their Gilded Age silver flatware.
Many silver pieces were used for the formal dining in the Gilded Age. Mrs. H. E. Huntington (Arabella) at the San Marino Ranch had a large collection of Gorham silver flatware.
It is highly-likely that the silver pattern was “Imperial Chrysanthemum” because Mrs. Collis Huntington (Arabella) had a large silver tea set to match. She bought a tea set for herself (probably the tea set was engraved “CPH”. She also bought a tea set for their favorite niece, Carrie Huntington Holliday (1896) for her wedding present. In fact Collis and Arabella hosted the Carrie & E. Burke Holladay wedding was at the Huntington Mansion at No 2 E. 57th St. NYC. It was the “Imperial Chrysanthemum” sterling silver set, Carries tea set is now located at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA Many of the Huntington silver items (SMR) were engraved “HEH”. Here is the list of the numerous silver flatware included in the silver set (filled 2 large wooden boxes):
Gorham Silver Flatware For Formal Luncheons & Formal Dinners (SMR):
There were oyster forks, fish forks & fish knives, bouillon soups & (cream) soup soups, salad forks, dinner & dessert forks, game & fruit forks, ice cream & pastry forks, dinner & fish knives, bread & butter knives, game knives, orange knives, nut picks, terrapin forks, gravy ladle, Roasted carving sets, large serving spoons, and a salad serving set
For Tea & Coffee: petit demitasse spoons, coffee spoons & tea spoons, sugar tongs, pie server, berry spoons, one flat handle “master butter” 7 1/2 ” Document: HEH Collection HEH MS 38/6 [Huntington Mansion SMR Inventory brown book]
Historical Note: I think breakfast in the Huntington’s mansions was buffet-style, so they didn’t tax their servant staff. Using hotel-like hot serving plates & covers (to keep the food hot): bacon, sausage, eggs or French omelets or French toast or pancakes. For breakfast, there was no linen tablecloth but probably placemats.
The Huntington’s Head Butler & footmen would laid the formal Dining-Room luncheon table & the formal dinner table settings. They had plates, silver flatware, crystal glasses, cloth napkins, damask tablecloth, fragrant flowers, & roses). The Huntingtons staff had to have great communication between the Head Cook, the Head Housekeeper, & the Head Butler. Probably on a weekly basis, Lunch & Dinner Menus needed to be set & posted. So that the Head Butler & his team could find the specific forks, knives, & spoons & serving forks/spoons, serving bowls, trays & dishes, that the Huntingtons needed to use for their formal meals.
The Huntingtons had their favorite foods in their different mansions. They appreciated home-grown food and local food. There was a wonderful cookbook I found at Mr. H. E. Huntington’s Huntington Library in San Marino, CA. This great cookbook, could have help the Huntington’s staff stay organized:
The White House Cookbook published in 1887 written by a brilliant woman named Fanny Lemira Gillette & Hugo Ziemann, who was the White House steward at the time. They compiled recipes, multi-course menus, health guides, table etiquette, & household tips. But not only did they give breakfast, luncheon, & dinner (Multi-course) menus – they listed menus for every day of the American year – 365 days! Also, giving recipes on how to make the delicious food for the set menus.
In the 1888’s, American society at the time tried to emulate the White House in Washington DC & the President of the United States. Somewhat, like the craze of the President’s wife, Mrs. J. F. Kennedy “Jacqueline” & her love of French food & how she entertained. People were interested in what they ate & how they entertained. I’m sure Mrs. Arabella Huntington had a copy of this fabulous White House cookbook in all of her mansions.
A finely engraved oriental silver 6-piece tea service has Arabesque flowers & animals in low relief.
Mrs. Arabella Huntington Silver Collection (No. 2) a collection of Royal silver & some of the best silver designers of the world
“A rare Irish silver epergne of Chippendale design, circa 1760, has branches [usually 4 branches] bearing small shell-shaped dishes, with a larger dish in the center with gadroon and shell border.”
“The famous Paul Lamerie’s work is seen in a rare George I silver waiter, engraved with shell & strap work, enclosing a coat of arms.”
An antique silver-gilt wine flagon decorated with medallions of kings on an arabesque flowered ground has the Augsbury mark.”
A George II hotwater jug by Alexander Johnson is engraved with the royal coat of arms & the initials “G.R.”
“Palmettos in Oriental Style decorated 24 individual dessert cups with fire gilt interiors by Theodore B. Starr.
“A George II silver cake dish, pierced in basket pattern. The center is engraved with a trellis & enclosing a coat of arms, formed as a shield with fleur de lys trumpets, the motto being ‘Ad sidera Tollit”
“Hannah and Thomas Northcote made a rare George III tea caddy & sugar bowl with palm leaf chased bodies & engraved feather edges.”
“Ann Craig & John Neville created a pair of George II [silver] candlesticks with the Argyle Arms”.
The Huntington’s Exotic French Rugs & African Rugs
There were many rugs at the Huntington Mansion in NYC. In fact, there were 118 rugs & mats.
Historic Marie Antionette Carpet
Mrs. Arabella Huntington had to be really proud to own sure a French treasure. The historic, Marie Antionette Aubusson carpet, was made just for the Queen. There was her initials, “M. A.” in the middle of the carpet in a “Cartouche” in the center. On a field of mulberry red, there were delicate flowers all around.
A antique Kuba Rug (African)
I thought it was quite exotic that the Huntingtons had a Kuba African rug with tree motifs & leaf borders with animals. It does make sense because Arabella’s husband, Collis P. Huntington had shares & helped build the African railroad. Could Arabella have traveled to Africa with him or did he bring home exotic African presents?
17th Century Kuba Rug
” A 17th century Kuba has bold palmette flowers & angular arabesque leaves on a vermillion (orangey-red) background.”
Vermilllion Kazak rug
This Kazak rug with a vermillion [red] center with rows of octagons & 3 geometric borders.
Tabriz Silk Rug
“A Tabriz garden rug with pale lemon yellow ground is divided into squares, having trees of different types and cartouches with fluid Talik inscriptions.”
Kashan Silk Rug
“A restful & lovely Kashan Silk has Mina Khani designs in delicate tins on deep soft blue”.
Karabagh Rug
“Karabagh has palmettes and leaves in delicate in blues, old rose, & soft green on indigo blue.
Inside the Huntington's Story 