If you are tired of waking up to 18 degree temperatures in March, imagine the warm, sandy beaches of summer. The 1898 season at Bailey’s Beach featured William K. “Willie K.” Vanderbilt, Jr., his younger brother Harold and everyone’s favorite gadfly Harry Lehr. Nearby, Virginia Graham “Birdie” Fair was careful not to get too tanned while wading into the water. Willie K. and Birdie were married on March 26th the following year.
Birdie Fair, image from the NHS collections
Image from the Havemeyer Collection, NHS