From Great Gatsby to Grey Gardens: The Mystery of Huguette Clark
It’s no secret that I’m house-obsessed. Any book on architecture and history can easily put me on a two-day-binger curled up in front of the fireplace with a bottomless pot of tea. But if you add an heiress, a mystery and a tale of a fellow introvert who managed to hide away from society for nearly 20 years in a hospital, healthy, while her several mansions were meticulously kept, I will lap it up like a dog to its own vomit. Historic houses are intriguing, yes. But it’s the perplexing, complicated, real stories of the people who once lived in them that are the most captivating.
Such is the story of Huguette Clark. You may have heard about her already, much to her chagrin. If you haven’t, here’s everything you need to know.
Was this 104-year-old heir to an old-money copper fortune being taken advantage of by her caregivers and employees for a piece of her 300 million dollar fortune, or was she the one in control? How did she spend her days and why did she chose to remain alone? And what about those early years? Her brief marriage to man who received 1 million dollars in exchange; the French marquis and childhood family friend to whom she was once engaged and continued a decades-long flirtatious relationship with – and who kept receiving her checks; her talent for painting, with work exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C.; her passion for collecting rare dolls; and her many anonymous charitable donations. Everyone wanted to know.
Huguette had been famous as a child, and a century later she became famous again for trying to stay hidden. Imagine how this 1906-born refined lady must have felt being a trending topic on Google and seeing fan pages pop up on Facebook -- her life ripe for the headlines like she was a Kardashian.
It is an enthralling story, for sure. And now that she is no longer alive, I don’t feel so bad about enjoying it. If you’re looking for a break from the current horrors happening in the U.S. today, check out these riveting books on the subject and get lost in a different time in American history.
Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
The Phantom of Fifth Avenue
by Cynthia Gunnells