A day at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum in Palm Beach, Florida
During Labor Day weekend Andrew and I enjoyed a day at the Herny Morrison Flagler Museum! Laura and A.J. will be saying “I do” here in just a few days and we cannot wait to celebrate with them! Because this is our first wedding at this dream venue Laura and A.J. so graciously treated us to a day at the Flagler Museum so we could better familiarize ourselves with the venue! We spent a relaxing Saturday afternoon exploring the museum. I took way too many photos so I thought I would share some of my favorites! Enjoy!
First stop, my favorite room! The Drawing Room:
The Drawing Room was used as a gathering place for music and conversation by Mary Lily and her guests. The room is adorned with silk fabric and light wood decorated in the Louis XVI style. Above each door and mirror is a cameo of Marie Antoinette, the ill-fated wife of Louis XVI.
The Steinway art case Model B grand piano was made specifically for this room. Its decorative details match those of the room. The painting on the lid of the piano is of Erato the Muse of Love Poetry. Aluminum leaf highlights the plaster ornaments in the Drawing Room. The process to extract aluminum economically had only recently been perfected and as a result, aluminum was as expensive and as precious as gold during much of the Gilded Age. The leaf was coated with shellac to give it a warmer feeling and a gold tint.
Source: http://www.flaglermuseum.us/drawing-room
The Grand Hall:
Henry Morrison Flagler’s Libray:
The Music room that quickly became an art gallery as well!
The Grand Ballroom:
The photo on the stand in the photo shown below was taken in this same ballroom over a century ago! I used to work in a law firm downtown a few years ago and in the lobby was a framed copy of this same photo. I often glanced at it and always loved it! It was so cool to find out where it was taken!
In 1903, the Grand Ballroom was the scene of the Bal Poudré, a lavish party given in honor of George Washington’s birthday. The Florida Times-Union called the Bal Poudré “the most brilliant social function in fair Florida’s history,” while the New York Herald described the event as “one of the most sumptuous social affairs ever attempted south of Washington.” At the Bal Poudré, guests danced the Minuet and the Virginia Reel.
Source: https://www.flaglermuseum.us/grand-ballroom
The Breakfast room:
Used daily by the Flaglers for less formal meals, Henry and Mary Lily Flagler ate breakfast in this room each morning. Servants had direct access to the Breakfast Room through a door that connected to the butler’s pantry and kitchen area. The room’s elaborate ceiling and color palette are modeled after the State Dining Room in Warwick Castle, England.
Source: https://www.flaglermuseum.us/breakfast-room
The Blue room:
The Master Bedroom:
Mr. and Mrs. Flagler shared the Master Suite, a practice uncommon at the turn-of-the-century. The suite included two separate dressing chambers, a large bath area, and a bedroom. The bedroom, decorated in the Louis XIV style, is furnished with the original bedroom furniture. The bed fabric and wallcoverings were reproduced based on samples of the original fabric.
Source: http://www.flaglermuseum.us/master-bedroom-and-bathroom
The Master Bathroom:
In Mary Lily’s dressing chamber outside the master bathroom hangs clothing typical of the period. Beyond the dressing chamber is the bathroom. This modern bathroom was equipped with some of the most advanced conveniences of the day, including indoor plumbing, a telephone, a tub, and a needle shower.
Source: http://www.flaglermuseum.us/master-bedroom-and-bathroom
The Colonial room:
The Morning Room:
The Flagler Kegan Pavilion:
The Cocoanut Grove:
The South Porch:
Credits:
Location: The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum
Photography: Crystal Bolin