In December 2024, my daughter and I visited Rhode Island’s Newport Mansions to see them decorated for Christmas. Now the families who built these mansions only lived in them during the summer; they never came out to them for Christmas. However, the Preservation Society of Newport– the same organization that saved and restored Newport Mansions–knew that Christmas would be a huge draw for people touring these historic summer “cottages.” So every year, volunteers from the Newport society spend about six weeks decorating the three largest mansions, The Breakers, The Elms, and Marble House, in a Victorian-Christmas style.
And I can attest, they are definitely worth seeing.
Here without further ado, is my pictorial blog of The Breakers in all their Christmas glory.
The East Facade of The Breakers faces the cliff and a view of the Atlantic Ocean.Second-story view of the Great Hall highlighted by a Christmas tree built of red poinsettias.A magnificent painting of blue sky adorns the Great Hall of The Breakers.An alcove within the Great Hall is beautifully decorated for Christmas.The stairway in the Great Hall is lined with white Christmas poinsettias.The Breakers Dining Room is decorated with marble and gilt bronze. The stone columns are solid alabaster, and the chandeliers and wall sconces are French Baccarat crystal.The painting on the Dining Room ceiling depicts the goddess Aurora calling in the dawn.The Billiard Room has a floor and ceiling made from thousands of hand-cut marble mosaic tiles.The mosaic ceiling of the billiard room depicts a woman and two children in a Roman bathhouse. A turtle walks across the floor.Looking out of the Billiard Room toward the Great Hallway and staircase fountain.The Morning Room has a lovely blue Christmas tree. This room was used in the daytime for casual affairs.The red and gold Christmas tree perfectly matches the red and gold brocade curtains of the Music Room.This Christmas tree in Mrs. Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt’s Bedroom is in keeping with the French Louis XVI decor.The Bedroom belonging to Cornelius Vanderbilt II. In 1885, he became chairman and president of the New York Central Railroad.The Christmas tree pays tribute to Vanderbilt’s Gilded-age fortune with ornaments of top hats and trains.A view of the sea from the Upper Loggia on a beautiful December day.This beautiful Guest Bedroom had green wall panels done in a Neo-Classical style.This Christmas tree matches the green wall panels and late 18th century French decor of the Guest Bedroom.A green acorn ornament is a reflection of the many acorn symbols – reflecting “strength and longevity” – found throughout the Vanderbilt home.The time to leave our self-guided tour is drawing near: view from a second-story window.A magnificent iron gate symbolizes the strength and exclusiveness of The Breakers mansion.
For the captions in this blog, I gleaned facts from the book Newport Mansions by The Preservation Society of Newport County, the Newport Mansion App, and fact sheets handed out during our tours.
