Day 3 Part 1: Enthralled by Edith

Today, I visited Edith Wharton's Home, The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts. I had a nice time taking photos along the way (the one above is the only mountain one that came out). After arriving at The Mount, I enjoyed a 1/4 mile walk to the home. This walk included views of the kitchen garden, original orchard, Wharton's greenhouse, the gatehouse, and the stable (below).

Eventually, I made it past the pet cemetery (Wharton had quite the collection of animals)

and to Wharton's mansion. The sheer size of the building is impressive along with the sprawling acres of gardens and forest. You couldn't ask to be more secluded than Wharton was.

Since Wharton helped design both the home and the gardens, architecture played an integral part of the tour. Below are some photos of the gardens and the outside of the home.

The Italian-style home was both lavish and sparse because Wharton believed that large bright spaces brought happiness. Anyone interested in art could spend hours admiring the extensive collection of tapestries and statues (tapestry in library below along with wall carvings).

In particular, there was a cast iron piece behind the fire logs in the library that depicted the sacrifice of Issac by Abraham (below). I can only imagine how impressive it must have looked with flames framing it.

Library

The rooms that could be viewed on tour were (various rooms pictured at side and below):

Drawing Room

·         Gallery
·         Teddy Wharton’s Den (her husband)
·         Wharton’s Library
·         Drawing Room
·         Dining Room (which led to a balcony overlooking the huge garden)
·         Hall
·         West Guest Suite
·         Henry James Guest Suite
·         Teddy Wharton Bedroom Suite
·         Wharton’s Bedroom and Boudoir
·         Service Wing Rooms

Ornate Drawing Room Ceiling

Dining Room

Wharton always wrote in her bedroom (below). Laying in her bed, she would write with her dog by her side and throw the pages to the floor as she finished them. Here, she wrote Ethan Frome, one of the novels I feel that was inspired by some of her real-life experiences.

The stories that the museum staff curate through oral tradition honor Wharton's dynamic life. Wharton's achievements were noted well including her extensive work with the poor and afflicted during World War I. She even took it upon herself to get to the front lines to do research. I was, overall, quite impressed by the home and the woman who truly had literary, social, and architectural talent.