Empty Mansions
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9 HUGUETTE SENT MONEY: HMC papers.
10 “TO MY DARLING MOTHER”: This photo of Huguette in a Japanese print dress was shown at Christie’s, New York, when Huguette’s jewelry was sold in 2012.
11 HUGUETTE BOUGHT FOR HERSELF AND FRIENDS THE LATEST CAMERAS: HMC papers.
12 “ONE FLOODLIGHT, OPENING 4”: Many examples of these photographs are in HMC papers.
13 SAT FOR PHOTOGRAPHS AT HOME: Copies of at least a dozen of these portraits are in HMC papers.
14 ONLY ONE YEAR DID HER MOTHER: This photo of Anna standing with her back to the camera is in HMC papers.
15 ANNA EUGENIA LACHAPELLE CLARK: “Mrs. Anna Clark, Senator’s Widow; Art Patron, Whose Husband Left $250 Million, Dies,” The New York Times, October 12, 1963.
16 MOST OF THE BEQUESTS: Last will and testament of Anna E. Clark, Surrogate’s Court of the State of New York County, County of New York; available online at NBCNews.com, http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/msnbc/Sections/NEWS/Anna_Clark_Will.pdf.
17 “MY DEAR FRIEND”: Villermont to HMC, October 14, 1963, letter, HMC papers.
18 SHE REMEMBERS VISITING: Marie-Christine’s memories are from an interview with Dedman, via translator, August 2, 2012.
19 ETIENNE WAS NOT A MARQUIS: The Allard family story is told in a detailed book by a relative, Guillard Allard: Une Famille Normande, de 1550 à nos Jours: Ascendance et Descendance de Jacques Allard, Conseiller du Roy, Seigneur de Sotteville, du Val et de Villermont. (Self-published, Normandy, 1973)
20 ETIENNE’S OBITUARY: Le Figaro, April 13, 1982, p. 28. The full obituary translates as: “Madame Etienne Allard de Villermont, Miss Marie-Christine Allard de Villermont, The Count and the Countess de la Chevardiere de la Grandville, Madame Dominique Allard de Villermont, His children and grandchildren, Madame Henri Allard de Villermont and his sons, Mister Emmanuel Jullien de Pommerol, His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Sorrowfully announce the return to God of Mister Etienne ALLARD de VILLERMONT on Maundy Thursday, furnished with the sacraments of the Church. The religious ceremony will take place in the church Sainte-Philomène du Cannet, this Tuesday 13 April, at 10:15am. The burial will take place in the cimetière monumental de Rouen, Thursday 15 April at 11:30am. A Mass will be celebrated for him this same Thursday 15 April, 1982, at 6:45pm in the church Saint-Pierre du Gros-Caillou, Paris (7th arrondisement), chapel of the Holy Virgin.” Also, a brief notice appeared in Nice-Matin, April 11, 1982. In the second, his name is listed as Etienne Allard de Sotteville; this surname has been used by some members of the Allard family.
21 THE HOUSE OF CHRISTIAN DIOR: This story of Huguette’s visit to the French consulate was told by Jacqueline Baeyens-Clerté in her testimony, October 9, 2012, Depositions.
22 “RUMPELSTILTSKIN HOUSE JUST ARRIVED”: HMC to Edith von Arps, cable, October 6, 1964, HMC papers.
23 RUDOLPH JAKLITSCH, BORN IN AUSTRIA-HUNGARY: Rudolph’s daughter, Linda Kasakyan, interview with Dedman, May 29, 2012.
24 “THE LITTLE PEOPLE ARE BANGING”: Ibid.
25 “THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND LETTER”: HMC to Manon Iessel, cable, August 16, 1962, HMC papers.
26 “RECEIVED THE WALL AND GARDEN”: HMC to Au Nain Bleu, cable, June 14, 1963, HMC papers.
27 “FOR THE LOVELY PASTRY SHOP”: HMC to Au Nain Bleu, cable, May 7, 1956, HMC papers.
28 “RECEIVED YOUR NICE LETTER”: HMC to La Maison Christian Dior, cable, August 9, 1962, HMC papers.
29 RUDOLPH, HER DOLLHOUSE CABINETMAKER: Kasakyan interview.
30 CAREFULLY REDRAFTING EACH ONE: HMC papers. Huguette kept even the drafts of her cards and grocery lists.
31 “I DON’T LIKE HOLIDAYS”: HMC medical records.
32 HUGUETTE KEPT SENDING THE CHECKS: HMC papers and Kasakyan interview.
33 A RARE TYPE OF CEDAR: Caterina Marsh interview with Dedman, May 18, 2012.
34 A DOLLHOUSE-SIZE CASTLE: HMC papers and photos.
35 HUGUETTE CORRESPONDED WITH THE JAPANESE ARTIST: HMC papers.
36 CHANGING TRAINS FOUR TIMES: Caterina Marsh to Huguette Clark, May 11, 1987, HMC papers.
37 THE MEASUREMENTS IN HER DETAILED DESIGNS: Marsh interview.
38 SHE ACCEPTED AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE: HMC papers.
39 “SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WANTED”: Marsh interview.
40 “SHE HAD A VERY HAPPY VOICE”: Ibid.
41 “IT SEEMS THE ARTIST”: Caterina Marsh to HMC, letter, HMC papers.
42 THE CASTLE PROJECTS CONTINUED: HMC papers.
43 HUGUETTE WASN’T HAPPY WITH HIS WORK: Marsh interview.
44 SHE SAID ONE OF HER FAVORITE MOVIES: HMC papers.
45 HUGUETTE SAID HER FAVORITE NOVEL: HMC conversation with Newell, April 10, 2002.
46 “WE ARE ALL TAKEN BY CUSTOMS”: Marsh interview.
47 LORIOUX WAS AN EARLY INSPIRATION: Among the many online introductions to the work of Félix Lorioux, see http://animationresources.org/?p=2272. See also Jean de La Fontaine, Fables of La Fontaine, illust. Félix Lorioux (1927; repr., New York: Dover, 2012), in French and English.
48 PICASSO, WHO RIFFED ON: Lorioux’s illustrated version of Don Quixote was published in 1930 by Hachette. Picasso’s Don Quixote was sketched in 1955.
49 “RARE BIRD”: Artine Courbalk’s correspondence about the Clarks to Félix Lorioux was supplied by Lorioux’s son, Jean-Loup Brusson, and grandson, Fabrice Brusson.
50 THROUGH COURBALK, HUGUETTE COMMISSIONED: Lorioux’s letters to Huguette are in HMC papers.
51 ONE HAND-PAINTED BIRTHDAY CARD: Copies of these Lorioux cards are in the authors’ possession, supplied by a dealer in Paris.
52 “OUR BENEVOLENT FAIRY”: Félix and Lily Lorioux to HMC, letter, April 29, 1959, HMC papers.
53 “DEAR MADAME, VERY SAD”: HMC to Lily Lorioux, cable, September 29, 1964, HMC papers.
54 FÉLIX LORIOUX WAS NOT THE ONLY: The extensive contacts between Huguette and the other illustrators in France can be found in HMC papers and are described in Courbalk’s letters.
55 “YOU KNOW HOW LOYAL”: HMC to Pinchon, letter, undated draft, HMC papers.
56 CLOSEST TO HÉROUARD: His real name was Chéri-Louis-Marie-Aimé Haumé (1881–1961).
57 INCLUDING A FEW OF HIS “DARING” ONES: Hérouard to HMC, letter, November 13, 1959, HMC papers.
58 “IN SPITE OF THEIR FRAGILE STATE”: Hérouard to HMC, letter, October 12, 1957, HMC papers.
59 “THE FAIRY TALE CONTINUES”: Pinchon to HMC, letter, April 15, 1953, HMC papers.
60 HUGUETTE WOULD CALL: Brusson family interviews and letters with Dedman, via translator, January–March 2013.
61 THE LORIOUX FAMILY HAD INVITED: Huguette’s stated fear of another French Revolution was described by the Brussons in interviews.
Chapter 8: Bellosguardo
1 A DETAILED REPORT OF MISINFORMATION: The myths told on the trolley tour are described in James H. Hurley to Donald L. Wallace, December 2, 1986, HMC papers.
2 THE NAME BELLOSGUARDO: The Montecito Historical Archives of the Montecito Association have rich information on the Bellosguardo history. (The Clark estate is actually inside the city limits of Santa Barbara, but just barely.) An overview of Bellosguardo history is given in David F. Myrick, Montecito and Santa Barbara, vol. 2, The Days of the Great Estates (Glendale, CA: Trans-Angelo Books, 1991), 384–92.
3 “MY DEAR MOTHER”: Sheila Lodge provided a copy of this June 10, 1988, note from Huguette. (See the handwritten note on page 344.)
4 MADE SOCIAL CONNECTIONS: One of Anna’s musical friends in the 1940s was Ganna Walska, the owner of the Lotusland estate in Montecito. Walska was a Polish opera singer of uncertain talent whose career was fostered by her older husband, industrialist Harold Fowler McCormick, a story that Orson Welles said helped inspire part of the screenplay for his 1941 film, Citizen Kane.
5 AFFLUENT COMMUNITY OF MONTECITO: Montecito has long been the summer home of wealthy families seeking seclusion. It is now populated by the likes of actress D
rew Barrymore, former vice president Al Gore, author T. C. Boyle, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, and media entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey.
6 THE MAIN DRIVEWAY ASCENDS: Descriptions of the exterior and interior of Bellosguardo are from Paul Newell’s tour in 2004 and from detailed photographs taken after Huguette died in 2011, Estate of Huguette M. Clark.
7 THE CLARKS DIDN’T BUILD: Photos of Andrée’s Cottage, when it was Geraldine’s Cottage, appear in Robert S. Birchard, Silent-Era Filmmaking in Santa Barbara (Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2007).
8 THEIR DAUGHTER, GERALDINE: Geraldine “Gerry” Graham became well-known as a model for portrait artists and for her string of attachments to prominent men, not the least Edward, Prince of Wales, years before he’d heard of Wallis Warfield Simpson.
9 ANN’S TRIP CAME: Ann Ellis Raynolds interviews with Dedman, beginning in April 2012.
10 HUGUETTE HONORED HER SISTER: Some have said that Anna made the donation for the bird refuge, but Huguette’s papers and documents at the Montecito Historical Archives make clear that Huguette wrote the check from her own funds, although Anna may have worked behind the scenes to make the refuge happen.
11 “WOULD ARRIVE ON SUCH SHORT NOTICE”: Barbara Hoelscher Doran offered her memories in “Behind the Gates of Bellosguardo,” Santa Barbara Magazine, Winter 1996, and in interviews with Dedman, 2010–13.
12 HER PHOTO ALBUMS: HMC papers.
13 “HUGUETTE WANTED MY MOTHER”: Barbara Hoelscher Doran interviews.
14 “TURNING THE COLOR”: HMC to Tadé Styka, letter, December 3, 1941, HMC papers.
15 THE YOUNG SENTRIES: Barry Hoelscher described his memories of Bellosguardo in interviews with Dedman, beginning February 2012.
16 SHE BOUGHT A 215-ACRE RANCH: The date of the purchase of Rancho Alegre is given in Anna’s will as July 14, 1943.
17 RANCHO ALEGRE: The ranch had a pedigree Anna could identify with, having been the weekend getaway of a former U.S. senator, Thomas M. Storke, owner of the Santa Barbara News-Press. The ranch served a useful purpose, providing milk and eggs for the Hoelschers and other staff, with the milk churned into butter at the Petan Dairy on Santa Barbara’s Eastside.
18 “FIRST-CLASS CONDITION”: John Douglas described his instructions and the episodes with the tree replacement and doghouse in his testimony, October 12, 2012, Depositions.
19 “WHO MOVED THAT CHAIR?”: Several relatives described the episode of the maid who was upset by a chair having been moved at Bellosguardo. One was Paul Albert in his testimony, November 13 and 14, 2012, Depositions.
20 THE SHAH OF IRAN: The efforts by the shah (January 1979) and Marvin Davis (1989) to buy Bellosguardo are described in letters to Huguette from her California attorney, James Hurley, HMC papers.
21 “MY ANSWER TO YOU”: Sheila Lodge provided the text of this April 9, 1997, note from Huguette.
22 “THE SCANDAL, OF COURSE”: Jeanette Rodda to HMC, letter, November 8, 1988, HMC papers.
23 “WHAT COLOR IS THE SWIMMING POOL?”: Oda Larsen interview with Newell in late 1995 or early 1996.
24 “YES, MR. DOUGLAS”: Douglas deposition.
Chapter 9: Le Beau Château
1 EVENTUALLY OWNING FIFTY-TWO ACRES: New Canaan property records show Huguette completing the purchase in August 1951, then adding land to expand the property to fifty-two acres from the original forty-two. In 1952, she had the roof raised and added a wing that measures twenty-three feet by twenty-five feet. It has a large public room on the first floor, a bedroom above with a cathedral ceiling, and an artist’s loft.
2 DAVID AIKEN REED: Senator Reed’s construction of the house and its features were described in detail in newspaper articles, including “Senator Reed Builds Home in New Canaan,” The New York Times, August 7, 1938.
3 “KEEPING AMERICAN STOCK UP”: George M. Stephenson, A History of American Immigration: 1820–1924 (New York: Russel and Russel, 1964).
4 SHE SPENT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS: 1997 estimates and work orders, HMC papers.
5 THE FINEST VIOLIN IN THE WORLD: The history of La Pucelle is described by David Fulton in an unpublished manuscript of a memoir.
6 THE ASKING PRICE: Documents on Huguette’s purchase of La Pucelle, HMC papers.
7 SHE EXPANDED HER COLLECTION: Documents on Huguette’s purchases of art and of Apartment 12W, HMC papers.
8 “DID YOU EVER REPLACE SNOOPY?”: Huguette Clark to Bill Gower, August 1946, cable, HMC papers.
9 “EVERYTHING WAS SKETCHY”: Janet Perry interview with Dedman, May 31, 2012.
10 ANTIBES: Gower’s home in Antibes was painted by artist Felix Kelly, La Sarrazine, Antibes, 1968, sold at Christie’s, London, November 6, 1998, listing at http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/LotDetailsPrintable.aspx?intObjectID=1365867.
11 HE DIED OF CONSUMPTION: The cemetery files of the Town of North Elba, near Lake Placid, New York, give information about Gower’s death and burial.
12 A MOSSY HEADSTONE: Bill Gower’s whereabouts have tormented researchers for years. He was hard to find because he used two middle names. His full name was William MacDonald Levenson Gower. When he married Huguette, he was known in the papers as William MacDonald Gower, then in the Social Register as William M. L. Gower. Finally, in his professional life, he switched to William L. Gower.
13 DELIA HEALEY: Delia Healey’s grandchildren Chris Santorsola and Patrick Brady described her work for Huguette in interviews with Dedman, beginning March 2010.
14 OUT IN YONKERS: Ann Fabrizio described her father, Robert Samuels, and his work for Huguette in interviews with Dedman, beginning March 2010. His work is documented in letters and receipts in HMC papers.
15 ONLY ONE PART-TIME MAID: The dwindling of Huguette’s staff is shown in expenditure reports, HMC papers.
16 “IT WAS SPOOKY”: Hadassah Peri described what Huguette told her of this incident with the delivery boy in her testimony, August 13, 2012, Depositions.
Chapter 10: Doctors Hospital
1 MADAME PIERRE CALLED: Suzanne Pierre’s role in contacting Dr. Singman is told in his affidavit, filed in Surrogate’s Court, May 24, 2012.
2 “HER DOLLS,” MADAME PIERRE SAID: Suzanne Pierre interview with Dedman, March 13, 2010.
3 “I WOULD ASK HER TO GO OUT”: Ibid.
4 “SHE THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST”: Ibid.
5 DOCTORS HOSPITAL WAS NOT THE PLACE: The reputation of the hospital as catering to the elite is described, for example, in “These Days, You Have to Be Ill to Get into Doctors Hospital,” The New York Times, December 27, 1970.
6 “LIKE A HOMELESS PERSON”: HMC medical records.
7 “MANAGING POORLY AT HOME”: The social worker’s assessment is in HMC medical records.
8 “THIS SHE HAS STEADFASTLY”: HMC medical records.
9 “I HAD STRONGLY URGED”: Dr. Henry Singman, HMC medical records.
10 “PERFECTLY HAPPY, CONTENT”: Dr. Henry Singman, testimony, August 16 and 20, 2012, Depositions.
11 HUGUETTE FIRED HER: The later night nurse, Geraldine Lehane Coffey, described this incident in her testimony: “Huguette told her, I do not want Angela to work for me any more because I don’t feel comfortable, she wants me to go home. Because they wanted Mrs. Clark to go home, but she didn’t feel ready to go home.” Coffey testified July 9 and September 4, 2012, Depositions.
12 “WAS SO CONTENT”: Dr. John L. E. Wolff, testimony, September 13, 2012, Depositions.
13 HUGUETTE WAS HARDLY EVER SICK: HMC medical records.
14 “EXTREMELY FRIGHTENED”: Ibid.
15 “YOU HAVE TO CONVINCE HER”: Hadassah Peri, testimony, August 13, 14, 15, and 17, 2012, Depositions.
16 GICELA TEJADA OLOROSO: Peri’s birth name, date of birth, and place of birth are given on a name change petition, Civil Court of the City of New York, October 24, 2011, in which she changed her name legally to Hadassah Peri, the name she had been using for years.
17 SHE PASSED HER NEW YORK EXAMS: Peri described her work and fam
ily history in her deposition. Her status as a registered nurse is confirmed in New York State records.
18 “I GIVE MY LIFE TO MADAME”: Hadassah Peri deposition.
19 “SHE LIKE A SIMPLE ROOM”: Ibid.
20 LOOK OUT ON THE FOURTH OF JULY: Coffey deposition.
21 “THE WOMAN WAS AN ECCENTRIC”: Singman deposition.
22 THE DAILY ROUTINE BEGAN: The typical day is described in the depositions of several nurses, as well as in the daily nurses’ notes in HMC medical records.
23 “WALK IN CENTRAL PARK”: Chris Sattler, testimony, August 23 and September 6, 2012, Depositions.
24 “MRS. CLARK LIKED TO SPEAK FRENCH”: Kati Despretz Cruz, testimony, September 6, 2012, Depositions.
25 “SHE WOULD WATCH THE STOCK”: Primrose Mohiuddin, testimony, September 17, 2012, Depositions.
26 “WHEN PRESIDENT CLINTON”: Sattler deposition.
27 “SHE WAS A WIZ”: Singman deposition.
28 “HER DEAR FATHER”: Hadassah Peri deposition.
29 HUGUETTE’S EYESIGHT HAD DECLINED: Her physical condition and response to her hearing loss are described in depositions and HMC medical records.
30 “SHE WAS REMARKABLY CLEAR”: Karen Gottlieb, testimony, July 10, 2012, Depositions.
31 “THAT’S ONE DAY”: Hadassah Peri deposition.
32 “A BEAUTIFUL LADY”: Ibid.
33 “HADASSAH WAS VERY GOOD”: Singman deposition.
34 “MADAME, I LOVE YOU”: The tape of this conversation, captured on the answering machine at the Peri home, was played during Hadassah Peri’s deposition. Based on when the machine was purchased, Peri estimated it occurred around 2007.
35 HUGUETTE APPROACHED A FRENCH FURNITURE COMPANY: HMC papers.
36 CHRIS FIRST VISITED: Sattler described his work history and his routine in his deposition.
37 FIND ALL THE LADIES-IN-WAITING: Sattler kept a time log of his daily activities for Huguette, entered as an exhibit to his deposition.
38 “I WASN’T AN EXPERT”: Sattler deposition.
39 “CHRIS,” SHE WOULD SAY: Ibid.
40 “THEN,” CHRIS RECALLED: Ibid.