Brooke Astor (1902-2007) was a legendary NY socialite, Vogue, Vanity Fair, House and Garden editor, tastemaker, author, and NYC’s greatest philanthropist who lived to 105!

 

Brooke married billionaire Vincent Astor, whose great-great-grandfather John Jacob Astor (1763-1848) was America’s first multi-millionaire from real estate, fur and opium trade. Vincent’s father John Jacob Astor IV (1864-1912) died aboard the RMS Titanic leaving Vincent (1891-1959), then a Harvard freshman, heir to the family fortunes. Vincent died of a heart attack five years into their marriage leaving Brooke in charge of the Vincent Astor Foundation, its mission being “the alleviation of human misery.” The Astor fortune was built in NYC, Brooke therefore wanted to give it back to the city. New York Times called her “NYC’s First Lady of Philanthropy,” others called her “NYC’s Fairy Godmother;” she donated $200+ million to NYC libraries, schools, museums, hospitals, homeless shelters, historic preservation, animal welfare and community programs.

 

She was personally involved (at some level), knowing and advocating for the organizations she gave to. She was high society, no matter whom or where she met in the city, she dressed in her iconic matching suits, hats, gloves, and jewels. She knew they expected to see Mrs. Astor, not a drab old lady, she wouldn’t think of disappointing them!

 

Prominent socialite, she hired legendary Albert Hadley and Sister Parish to design her Park Ave. apartment where she entertained presidents and first ladies like Jackie Kennedy (Jackie also hired Albert Hadley and Sister Parish), writers, philanthropists, designers and celebrities like Oscar and Annette de la Renta, David Rockefeller, Barbara Walters and Camilla Parker Bowles. Albert Hadley designed her illustrious red-lacquer and brass-trimmed library, one of the most celebrated interiors of the 20th Century. Sister Parish designed Brooke's summer estate in Northeast Harbor Maine, followed by Mark Hampton and Nancy Pierrepont, rooms were layered in chintzy botanical patterns. It’s this colonial estate that the pieces we’ve acquired are from.