Esther Maria Lewis Chapin
Esther Maria "Lili" Lewis Chapin (June 17, 1871 – June 21, 1959)[1] was an American socialite. She was a direct descendant of Betty Washington Lewis, the sister of George Washington. An evening gown she wore in 1888 set a world auction record when it sold in 2001.
Early life[edit]
Esther Maria Lewis was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1871 and was raised in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her father was Colonel Edward Parke Custis Lewis (1837-1892), who served as United States Minister to Portugal under President Grover Cleveland from 1885 to 1889. Her mother was Mary Picton Stevens (1840-1903), daughter of Edwin Augustus Stevens and formerly the wife of Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett. Her paternal great-grandparents were Lawrence Lewis, a nephew of George Washington, and Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, a granddaughter of Martha Washington.[2]
Debut[edit]
In 1888, at the age of 17 or 18, while her father was serving as Minister to Portugal, she was presented to Queen Victoria wearing a gown designed by Charles Frederick Worth, the world's first couturier. On May 29, 2001, the gown, which has a 23-inch waist and a 10½-foot detachable train, was sold at the Doyle New York auction for $101,500, at the time a world auction record for an antique dress.[3][4][5]
After her father's diplomatic tenure ended in 1889, the family returned to their Hoboken home.
Personal life[edit]
On May 19, 1894, Esther Maria Lewis married Charles Merrill Chapin at Trinity Church in Hoboken.[6] They had two children:
- Mary Stevens Chapin (born November 10, 1895)
- Charles Merrill Chapin, Jr. (born May 27, 1898).[2]
In 1959, Lewis died in Bernardsville, New Jersey at the age of 88.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Brogan, Hugh; Mosley, Charles (1994). American Presidential Families. Alan Sutton. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7509-0582-4.
- ^ a b Sorley, Merrow Egerton (1979) [1935]. Lewis of Warner Hall. Genealogical Publishing Company. pp. 223–224. ISBN 9780806308319.
- ^ "Spencer-Churchill Property, Worth Gown Highlight Doyle New York Offerings". Antiques and the Arts Online. 2001-05-29. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ^ Silberman, Vanessa (November 2001). "Auction Block". Art Business News. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
- ^ Craven, Wayne (2008). Gilded Mansions. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-393-06754-5.
- ^ "Chapin-Lewis". The New York Times. 1894-05-20. p. 4. Retrieved 2009-07-13.