Elsie de Wolfe was a prominent New York Socialite and interior designer.
Elsie was the daughter of Stephen de Wolfe (1824-1890) and Georgiana Watts (Copeland) DeWolfe (abt.1830-1909)
Elsie was born on 20 Dec 1859 or 1865 in New York City, New York, USA, depending on which source you follow.
She apparently went to the United Kingdom shortly after her birth to visit probably her mother's relatives and was presented to Queen Victoria and London society[1][2]
"Ellen" shows up in the 1870 census as 12 years old.
She performed as an undistinguished amateur theatrical performer before being recognized in a charity benefit 1885 in The White Milliner at the Wyndham Criterion Theatre, London England. She returned to New York with her American amateur debut at Mrs Eggleton's residence at Washington Square in The Loan of a Lover. The death of her father in 1890 necessitated that she had to provide a living for herself even though she was rated as a below average thespian.
She became a professional actress on 5 Oct 1891, playing in Victorien Sardou's, Thermidor, in the role of Fabienne Lecoulteur. She prepared for the role by being mentored by Sardou and a Mlle Bartet, but he New York premier was a flop. When the play opened in Boston she had limited rave reviews. She spent the next to years on the road. On her return to New York she appeared in the American Theatre and then trod the stage with the Empire Theatre Company. She also preformed with John Drew Company. By the late 1890s her acting was described as realistic, quiet, subdued, and simple. Characteristically she was dubbed an intelligent, ambious, hard worker.[3]
The 1910 United States census lists her as Elsie, single, did not state age, place of birth, English-American, building decorator, living in Manhattan, NY. [4]
She was an American actress, interior decorator, nominal author of the influential 1913 book The House in Good Taste, and a prominent figure in New York, Paris, and London society. According to The New Yorker, "Interior Design as a profession was invented by Elsie de Wolfe." During her married life, the press usually referred to her as Lady Mendl.
She challenged the new income tax law in 1913 obtaining financial support from "some powerful interests..." She claimed it was unconstitutional and involved class legislation. [5]
She was married to Sir Charles Ferdinand Simon Mendlq in the British Consulate in Paris on 20 Mar 1936. In 1941 they were forced to leave their villa, Trianon in Versailles, when the Nazis occupied Paris.
She had a bathroom in her Paris apartment with mirrors for floor, walls and ceilings. The only decorations are several green masks.[6]
Her passport shows a date of 12/20/1865 but she appears in the 1880 census as age 20. Typical of an actress to appear younger than she actually was.
She died in Versailles, France.
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D > de Wolfe > Ella Anderson de Wolfe
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