Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney papers, 1851-1975, bulk 1888-1942

This subseries consists of early photographs of the Vanderbilt and Whitney families, and photographs of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's own family, including her husband, Harry Payne Whitney, her children, Flora, Cornelius, and Barbara, and other family members. Early photographs of the Vanderbilt family include ones of Whitney's grandfather, "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, and her father, Cornelius Vanderbilt II, and one from the Vanderbilt family trip to Florida in 1896. Early photographs of the Whitney family include ones of William C. Whitney and Flora Payne Whitney (Whitney's in-laws), ones of Pauline and Harry Payne Whitney as children, and ones of other family, friends, and business and political associates of William C. Whitney. Photographs of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's own family include ones from her honeymoon, ones of her children and ones of her with her children (including one of Whitney with her mother, daughter, and grandchild, representing four generations of the family), and ones from various family weddings. Also found are photographs of Whitney's childhood friend, Esther Hunt.

This subseries consists of portraits and photographs of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Portraits include early ones of Whitney as young girl and young woman, later ones taken by noted photographers Amemiya, Baron Adolf de Meyer and Count Jean de Strelecki, and proofs of ones taken by Edward Steichen, among others. Photographs include ones in costume, campaigning for the presidential candidate, Charles Hughes, in 1916, traveling, receiving an honorary degree from New York University in 1922, with Dr. Boliario Porras presumably conferring about the Panama-Roosevelt Memorial, at the opening of the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1931 (including some photographs of the museum taken by the photographer Berenice Abbott), and various ones with her husband, friends, and other family.

Photographs of Whitney can also be found amongst the sculpture photographs.

This subseries consists of exterior and interior photographs of various residences belonging to the Whitney and Vanderbilt families, and photographs of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's studios in Old Westbury, Long Island and at 34 Rue Jouvenet in Paris. Of particular note are photographs of the cottage, and its renovation, on the Whitney estate in Lenox, Massachusetts where Gertrude and Harry Payne Whitney spent part of their honeymoon in 1896.

This subseries consists of photographs of various exhibitions and installations of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's sculpture, as well as photographs of exhibitions at the Whitney studio, such as the "Impressions of War" exhibition in 1919 and "The Circus in Paint" exhibition in 1929. Also found are photographs from the Memorial Show at the Whitney Museum of American Art held shortly after Whitney's death in 1942.

Photographs in this subseries are arranged in rough chronological order.

This subseries consists of photographs of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney's sculptures. Extensive photographic documentation can be found for the Columbus Memorial and the St. Nazaire Memorial, including photographs related to planning, construction, and public unveiling. Photographs of Whitney posing with, working on, or attending the unveiling of her sculptures can be found amongst some of the files, including Buffalo Bill Memorial, Columbus Memorial, Fourth Division Memorial, St. Nazaire Memorial, Shepherd, Spirit of Flight, and Washington Heights War Memorial.

Sculpture photographs are arranged in alphabetical order according to title. Photographs of various and unidentified sculptures and sculpture by others are arranged into files at the end of the subseries.

This subseries consists of scattered, miscellaneous, and unidentified photographs. These include photographs of Charles Lindbergh (that may or may not relate to Whitney's planned, but never realized, memorial), the tomb of William C. Whitney, commerical scenic photographs, travel snapshots (with unidentified people), reproductions of various paintings and works of art by Robert Chanler, and photographs of other seemingly random or unidentified subjects.