Consuelo Vanderbilt-Balsan was a socialite and a member of the American Vanderbilt family. Her first marriage to the 9th Duke of Marlborough has become a well-known example of the advantageous, but loveless, marriages common during the Gilded Age. The Duke obtained a large dowry by the marriage, and reportedly told her just after the marriage that he married her in order to "save Blenheim Palace", his ancestral home.
c.1900–05
Consuelo Vanderbilt as a child
The Duchess of Marlborough, c. 1903, by Paul César Helleu
Consuelo c. 1910
The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy. Cornelius Vanderbilt's descendants went on to build grand mansions on Fifth Avenue in New York City; luxurious "summer cottages" in Newport, Rhode Island; the palatial Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina; and various other opulent homes. The family also built Berkshire cottages in the western region of Massachusetts; examples include Elm Court.
Image: Cornelius Vanderbilt three quarter view (cropped)
Image: W.K. Vanderbilt LCCN2014685935 (3) (cropped)
Image: Governor of Rhode Island. Washington, D.C., March 8. LCCN2016877246 (cropped)(2)
Cornelius Vanderbilt
