Heiress and executive Marjorie Merriweather Post crossed the Atlantic via luxury liner to shop in Paris starting in the 1900s.
Known as one of the wealthiest women in the United States, Post’s high fashion and jewelry are now on display in her Northwest D.C. mansion-turned-museum.
The exhibit "Marjorie Merriweather Post's Paris" includes a Cartier backgammon board, a Van Cleef & Arpels pin covered in rubies, an eye-shaped Hermès magnifying glass, an amethyst and diamond Cartier necklace and a handbag covered in pearls.
“She filled trunks and trunks with treasures from France for us to appreciate today," said Megan Martinelli, who curated the exhibit at Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens.
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“We looked for a way to transport our visitors to France … namely to Paris,” Martinelli said.
Post ordered almost 40 trunks from Louis Vuitton to hold her extensive wardrobe as she traveled, according to the estate.
Born in 1887, Post was the only child of the couple who founded the Post cereal empire. When her parents died in the 1910s, she became the company’s owner at just 27.
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As a young woman, Post "was understanding not only [how] to manage her personal wealth but also manage the company,” Martinelli said.
Over the course of her life, Post was married four times, merged the cereal company with Kraft Foods, had three children and built the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida that is now owned by ex-President Donald Trump.
Post is also known for her philanthropic initiatives. During the Great Depression, she financially supported a Salvation Army feeding station in New York. She also received the Legion of Honour from France for funding a Red Cross hospital during World War I, according to the estate.
Post died in 1973 and her D.C. estate opened to the public four years later.
Post’s favorite pieces in her collection
Post's high-end designer goods are laid out in the Dacha, a navy blue and yellow log-style house that Post built on the property to resemble Russian architecture she admired, according to the estate.
The exhibit includes a map of Post’s favorite restaurants, hotels and shops in Paris. In her scrapbook, she wrote about some of the destinations and her purchases.
Post wrote about what is believed to be her first piece of French couture: a Gustave Beer gown purchased in 1904. The dress is included in the exhibit and is covered in silk, ribbon roses, tan-colored tulle and lace.
Visitors to the exhibit oohed and aahed at the gowns.
“Oh, I love the dresses. These are beautiful,” one visitor said as she looked at dresses from Paris made of glass beads, velvet and satin ribbons.
“This [exhibit] is also kind of a history lesson of the French couture establishments,” the visitor said.
Post’s hobbies included going to French art markets and collecting 18th-century French decorative arts and antiques to furnish her homes, Martinelli said.
Part of Post's legacy is leaving the public with French couture, jewelry and antiques to enjoy forever, Martinelli said.
The exhibit will be open until June 16 at 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. Entrance is donation-based. Go here for more information.
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