Merry Christmas and Compliments of the Season!
Christmas was one of Larz and Isabel Anderson’s favorite holidays and they loved spending it with family and friends at their country estate in Brookline, Massachusetts (now the Larz Anderson Park, part of the Town of Brookline park system). Their biggest Christmas party was reserved for their staff and staff families, especially the many children who lived on the estate with their parents. Reports of the annual party often made it into newspapers in Boston and Washington:
CHRISTMAS TREE AT WELD. _________ Mr. and Mrs. Larz Anderson of Brookline Entertain Their Own and Brandegee Employees. There was a merry gathering at "Weld," the Brookline estate of Mr. and Mrs. Larz Anderson, last evening at a Christmas tree entertainment for the Anderson employees with the Brandegee [Isabel's cousin] employees as guests. Last evening...saw a revival of Christmas festivities at the Andersons' and many wealthy neighbors ran over to witness the merry making. A great tree laden with good things held a central position in the carriage room of the well appointed stable and about this the festivities took place. [From the Boston Globe, Dec. 25, 1913, page 2]
The Andersons customarily sent a Christmas card that pictured them on one of their exotic trips around the world. In 1926, however, their Christmas card presented their new dual portrait by the society painter Philip de Laszlo. They called the painting Mr. & Mrs. A. The Christmas card pictured above is from an Anderson scrapbook, and the notation “Christmas Greetings from Mr. & Mrs. A. 1926” is in Larz Anderson’s own handwriting.
With best wishes for the holiday season and kind regards to all my blog subscribers,
Illustrations:
Mr. & Mrs. A. (1926)
Courtesy of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum, Brookline, Mass.
Christmas decorations courtesy of
clipartbest.com