Beschreibung:

Lot of 20, including: Letter dated Feb 13th, 1908 and addressed to Cornelius Vanderbilt (iii) at 677 Fifth Avenue, New York. The letter contains a few sentences relating to the name Grace. This appears to be an acrostic poem in which the letters in the name Grace are used to start each sentence. This is likely a letter to him from his wife Grace (although his daughter's name was Grace, but the handwriting looks too assured to be that of a 10 year old). Letter, 8pp, dated May 13, 1929 and addressed to Brigadier General Cornelius Vanderbilt at a hotel in Paris. This letter is from Vanderbilt's daughter, Grace Vanderbilt and relates to family matters including the wonder at using a telephone to speak to her mother in Europe and news of her new baby. It consists of 8 written sides and is on stationery with 640, Fifth Avenue embossed on. Signed “G” at the end. Letter, 12 pp., dated December 14, 1929, addressed to Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt (Grace Vanderbilt) from Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt in London. Alice mentions Christmas greetings and a visit from her grandchildren. Written on 23 Bellgrave Square S.W.I. Sloane 9495 letterhead. Letter, 3.5pp, dated March 10, 1955, is addressed to Cornelius Vanderbilt. Inside is a letter written in German by Heinz-Gunter Jurgens to Cornelius Vanderbilt JR. Envelope, which doesn't contain a letter, addressed to Mrs Wilson at 511 Fifth Avenue and dated 27.5.07 from Grand Hotel Kaiserhof in Germany. Letter, 8 pp., addressed to Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt. The letter is signed but the author cannot be determined. It speaks of the Balmoral Ball and whether or not Vanderbilt will attend and other London socialite gossip. 6 postcards, mostly addressed to Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr. 9 personal photographs of a family member in various places including Egypt, snow-covered peaks, and more. Fiercely competitive and a notoriously shrewd businessman, Cornelius Vanderbilt transformed his life of poverty to a nearly unfathomable amount of wealth. With experience in his first job working for his father on a ferry, he used the waterways and railways to build a steamship and railroad empire. Along with his large fortune, he amassed a large family and fathered thirteen children with his first wife, Sophia Johnson. One of his sons was Cornelius Vanderbilt II who fathered Cornelius "Neily" Vanderbilt III, the recipient of much of the correspondence. Neily was an inventor and brigadier general in the National Guard during World War I. His tinkering resulted in more than thirty patented inventions that improved locomotives and freight cars, which benefited the company. The most important were a corrugated firebox for locomotives that resulted in a substantial increase in fuel efficiency, a cylindrical styled tank car for the transport of bulk oil, and a revolutionary type of locomotive tender. He also partnered with August Belmont, Jr. to establish the Interborough Rapid Transit Company for the construction of the New York City's first subway. Despite his contributions, he was essentially disinherited after he married his wife Grace without consent from his parents. His mother and father did not approve of the match because they felt Grace was beneath Neily's station and was a social climber. The majority of the Vanderbilt fortune passed to Neily's brother, who sympathetically awarded his brother 6 million dollars from his inheritance. It took almost thirty years for Neily and his mother to reconcile. Neily and Grace remained married their entire lives and continued to live life in high society, befriending many influential figures especially in Europe from their extensive travel abroad. Condition: Typical folds of the letters in good condition.