Yesteryear’s Super Wealthy

I wish I had more to report from “Living Well: the Cassatts & Their Main Line Houses,” hosted by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. The lecture by historian Jeff Groff centered more on the Cassatt family—of which the most prominent member is impressionist painter Mary Cassatt—than their Gilded Age mansions. Located in Philadelphia’s affluent Main Line suburbs, the gargantuan homes were the Cassatts’ pastoral retreats from city living—a mere 10 miles from the family’s main residences in urban Rittenhouse Square. They were built in a variety of overwrought Revivalist styles and a few still exist today as museums, community centers, and private residences. I was hoping for an in-depth look at the relationship between Gilded Age architects and their patrons, or maybe a comparison between the tastes and thinking of Philadelphia-area architects compared to those designing in New York for people like the Carnegies. Instead, the talk amounted to long-winded pap, detailing the marriages, land acquisitions, and leisure activities of yesteryear’s super wealthy. Thrilling stuff. I have never clicked “Leave Meeting” faster.