As I said on Thursday, I took some shots of the Hillwood mansion interiors on the sly with my iPhone. These photos are pretty rough, because I took them very quickly. Photography is kind of not allowed, but no one said anything about cell phones. I’m not usually a rule-breaker, except in photography. I didn’t use flash at all, so nothing was damaged. I think the people running Hillwood would do better protecting those priceless Oriental rugs from all the foot traffic….

On to the mansion:

French drawing room. The mantel and paneling are from Parisian homes dating to King Louis XVI. While walking through the place, I felt more like I was in a chateau in the Loire River Valley than an American home. Mrs. Post was a collector extraordinaire (and one of the richest women in America.)

Another view of the drawing room. Tapestries were made in the 1730s by the Beauvais factory in France.

Dining room. Random fact: Mrs. Post had the Italian table built for her Palm Beach home, Mar-A-Lago, now owned by Donald Trump. Her will stipulated that the table be brought back to Hillwood.

The room I wanted to photograph most, the bedroom. There were people everywhere, so all I have is a photo from the brochure. If they’re not going to allow standard photography, why not publish the brochure in full color? I guess that’s the way to get people to visit. This bedroom is quite museum-like, don’t you think? That really applies to the whole place, in my opinion.

Love this table and chandelier. Is it me, or are the chandeliers in all these pictures kind of sideways? An iPhone phenomenon, or is Marjorie having fun with me?

Breakfast room. According to Hillwood’s brochure, the chandelier is from Catherine Palace, “one of Catherine the Great’s favorite residences outside St. Petersburg.”

The cover of the Hillwood brochure. The plain exterior belies the ornate interior, yes? By the way, if you’re into fine china, this is the place. There are separate rooms for the French and Russian porcelain collections alone.

Probably the most important objects in the house are two Fabergé eggs. They were gifts from Tsar Nicholas II to his mother. There were guards in that area, so I couldn’t photograph. No worries, I looked them up on line. You can see the Twelve Monograms Easter Egg here and the Catherine the Great Easter Egg here.

Well, I did get busted after all. After I took two shots of this lovely houseplant in the visitor center, a very nice employee told me they don’t allow photography inside any of the buildings. I was about to tell him they allow photography at Versailles, but didn’t. 

Have a great Monday, everyone!