Biltmore's newest exhibition, A Vanderbilt House Party - The Gilded Age, opens today

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Feb 08, 2019, 17:28 ET

ASHEVILLE, N.C., Feb. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- After more than two years of collaboration with Oscar-winning designer John Bright, Biltmore has opened its latest exhibition, A Vanderbilt House Party – The Gilded Age. The exhibition runs through May 27, 2019.

A Vanderbilt House Party features clothing vignettes in Biltmore House, paired with storytelling in a new audio-guided tour that provides an insider's perspective of party preparations as though today's guests are present for a 1905 house party. The narration is based on those who lived, visited and worked in Biltmore House.

John Bright and Leslie Klingner at Biltmore in Asheville, N.C. Bright, an Academy Award-winning costume designer, worked with Klingner, Biltmore’s Curator of Interpretation, to recreate clothing for A Vanderbilt House Party – The Gilded Age.

"With this exhibition, we want our guests to feel like they know what it was like to visit Biltmore at that time," said Lauren Henry, Biltmore associate curator, at a recent panel discussion at Biltmore. "We want Biltmore House to feel like a home."

Preparing for this exhibition, Biltmore's curators turned to the Vanderbilt archives for letters, photographs, and documents – including fashion magazines of the Gilded Age - to create this new guest experience.

John Bright, along with his London-based company Cosprop, collaborated with Biltmore's curators to meticulously reproduce the Vanderbilt family's clothing displayed in the exhibition. Bright created the items with inspiration from archival photographs and portraits in Biltmore's collection, bringing vivid color to scenes previously only seen in century-old black-and-white photos.

A Vanderbilt House Party is included in daytime admission; the audio-guided exhibition tour is free with online ticket purchases or can be purchased onsite for an additional fee.

To learn more about this new exhibit at Biltmore, as well as how to purchase tickets, visit www.biltmore.com.

About Biltmore
Located in Asheville, North Carolina, Biltmore was the vision of George W. Vanderbilt. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt, America's largest home is a 250-room French Renaissance chateau, exhibiting the Vanderbilt family's original collection of furnishings, art and antiques. Biltmore estate encompasses more than 8,000 acres including renowned gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture. Today, Biltmore has grown to include Antler Hill Village, which features the award-winning Winery and Antler Hill Farm; The Inn on Biltmore Estate; Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate; Equestrian Center; numerous restaurants; event and meeting venues; and Biltmore For Your Home, the company's licensed products division. To learn more about Biltmore, go to www.biltmore.com or call 877-BILTMORE.

SOURCE The Biltmore Company