Matilda Geddings Gray

Matilda Geddings Gray
Portrait of Matilda Geddings Gray in 1926 by Helen Turner
Born(1889-03-18)March 18, 1889
Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedFebruary 26, 1971(1971-02-26) (aged 81)
Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
NationalityAmerican

Matilda Geddings Gray (March 18, 1885 – February 26, 1971) was an American heiress, businesswoman, art collector, and philanthropist.[1]

Life

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She was one of three children born to wealthy oilman John Geddings Gray of New Orleans. Her siblings were brothers Henry and Bill. Upon her father's death, she became heir to his fortune and took over the family oil and timber businesses. With a passion for historic preservation, in 1938 she restored the John Gauche House in the New Orleans French Quarter.[2] The Evergreen Plantation, now a U.S. National Historic Landmark, was one of her projects.[3]

She preferred her philanthropic deeds be low-key, so as not to put her in the spotlight. Among those deeds was an international act of generosity to the nations of France and England to help them cope with post-World War II food shortages. During this time, she shipped over 250,000 pounds of rice to those countries.[4]

Gray collected Fabergé objects, including the Fabergé eggs Napoleonic, Danish Palaces, Caucasus, and Pansy.[5][6][7][8] After her death, her collection of Fabergé eggs was put on display by the New Orleans Museum of Art.[9]

In 1935, she traveled to Guatemala where she collected traditional textiles and documented clothing.[10]

Awards and honors

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Her philanthropic endeavors earned her the following international honors:[11]

Legacy

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In 1971 The Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation was established in Lake Charles, Louisiana.[12] Its Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation Collection is on long-term loan at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Matilda Geddings Gray and Evergreen Plantation" (PDF). www.neworleansbar.org. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  2. ^ "Gauche House Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Matilda Geddings Gray and Evergreen Plantation" (PDF). New Orleans Bar Association. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Louisiana Woman, Philanthropist, Dies". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 9 June 1971. p. 13. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Met listing" (PDF). www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  6. ^ "FABERGÉ EXHIBITION AT THE MET". www.faberge.com.
  7. ^ Kahn, Eve M. (June 30, 2011). "A Fabergé Exhibition Without 'Fauxbergés'". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Columnist, PARKE ROUSE. "HOW FABERGE ENDED UP IN VIRGINIA". dailypress.com.
  9. ^ "NOMA's Faberge' eggs head to N.Y." The Town Talk. 9 February 1996. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  10. ^ "Tulane Online Exhibits". exhibits.tulane.edu.
  11. ^ "Matilda Geddings Gray obituary". The Tampa Tribune. 10 June 1971. p. 51. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  12. ^ "The Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation". Find Grantmakers & Nonprofit Funders. Foundation Directory Online. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Fabergé from the Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation Collection". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
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Further reading

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  • Masterpieces of Fabergé: The Matilda Geddings Gray Foundation Collection by John Webster Keefe, New Orleans Museum of Art, 1993 ISBN 0894940406
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