Our Room Design for Holiday House Hamptons Showhouse Using Rare Photograph Collection of Jackie Bouvier in the East End of Long Island
A Modern Take On An Old-World Hamptons' Lifestyle For
Holiday House Hamptons Showhouse,
Summer 2019
Summer 2019
When we were invited to decorate the main floor powder room for the Holiday House Hampton's showhouse in a brand new home in Watermill, New York this summer, I immediately thought of the equestrian lifestyle here in the East End. The home has barn-like contemporary architecture with clean lines and an open plan, and plenty of views of the fields and farms in Watermill. We decided to channel this sentiment for our space, which is on the main floor right next to the the kitchen and dining room. It's literally one of the first rooms you see when you walk into the house, so it needed to be dramatic. For "Summering in the Hamptons, then and now" we custom colored the abstract and ethereal Wheels design from our root cellar designs' wallpaper collection originally a hand painted faux finish design now available in our collection to the design trade.
The wallpaper serves as a great backdrop for art, and my thoughts immediately went to an exhibit I had seen two summers ago at the East Hampton Historical Society titled "Young Jackie." From 1930s through the 1950s British society photographer Bert Morgan captured special moments of a young Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (before she was the First Lady of the United States), and together with her family in the East End of Long Island. This collection showcases her along with her horse Danseuse and the family's dogs attending equestrian events in the Southampton Riding and Hunt Club and social events in the East End during her childhood. I learned that Morgan became friends with Jackie's mother, Janet, and he gleaned special access to the family following them to the many social and equestrian events then publishing them in the society pages. Janet was an accomplished equestrian and soon her daughter Jackie became adept on horseback as well.
The wallpaper serves as a great backdrop for art, and my thoughts immediately went to an exhibit I had seen two summers ago at the East Hampton Historical Society titled "Young Jackie." From 1930s through the 1950s British society photographer Bert Morgan captured special moments of a young Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (before she was the First Lady of the United States), and together with her family in the East End of Long Island. This collection showcases her along with her horse Danseuse and the family's dogs attending equestrian events in the Southampton Riding and Hunt Club and social events in the East End during her childhood. I learned that Morgan became friends with Jackie's mother, Janet, and he gleaned special access to the family following them to the many social and equestrian events then publishing them in the society pages. Janet was an accomplished equestrian and soon her daughter Jackie became adept on horseback as well.
So you can imagine how thrilled when local Shelter Island photo archivist and filmmaker Patrick Montgomery agreed to loan me pieces from his private collection (yes, he owns the entire Bert Morgan collection of photographs) of these framed photographs. Please see the nine framed limited edition photographs I chose from Montgomery's collection which are on display in our powder room at 90 Wildgoose Lane in Watermill. After the Opening Gala this Saturday night, the house will be open to the public until August 4, 2019. I am pleased to note these special editions are for sale framed for a special price of $275.00 a piece. Please email me for details at TamaraStephenson1@gmail.com
8. Jackie at a horse show Smithtown, NY July 4, 1938
9. Jackie, her sister Lee and their mother Janet in line to greet the bride at teh Krech-Jackson wedding
"Bert Morgan (1904-1986) was born in Northern England, came to America at age seven and grew up in Brooklyn, NY. He began his career delivering newspapers and by age fifteen was working as a salesman syndicating photographs for the Chicago Tribune and the New York Daily News. In 1930 he began taking his own photographs with a camera he bought for a quarter. For the next five decades he would chronicle high society and its luminaries, as well as becoming the official photographer of the New York Racing Association. His work was published regularly in The Social Spectator, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Town and Country, and many newspapers."-East Hampton Historical Society
Happy Nesting
XO Tamara
