Esther Maria Lewis Chapin

Esther Maria "Lili" Lewis Chapin (June 17, 1871 – June 21, 1959)[1] was an American socialite. She was a direct descendant of Betty Washington Lewis, the sister of George Washington. An evening gown she wore in 1888 set a world auction record when it sold in 2001.

Early life

Esther Maria Lewis was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1871 and was raised in Hoboken, New Jersey. Her father was Colonel Edward Parke Custis Lewis (1837-1892), who served as United States Minister to Portugal under President Grover Cleveland from 1885 to 1889. Her mother was Mary Picton Stevens (1840-1903), daughter of Edwin Augustus Stevens and formerly the wife of Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett. Her paternal great-grandparents were Lawrence Lewis, a nephew of George Washington, and Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis, a granddaughter of Martha Washington.[2]

Debut
A different court presentation gown from the House of Worth worn by Esther Chapin, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

In 1888, at the age of 17 or 18, while her father was serving as Minister to Portugal, she was presented to Queen Victoria wearing a gown designed by Charles Frederick Worth, the world's first couturier. On May 29, 2001, the gown, which has a 23-inch waist and a 10½-foot detachable train, was sold at the Doyle New York auction for $101,500, at the time a world auction record for an antique dress.[3][4][5]

After her father's diplomatic tenure ended in 1889, the family returned to their Hoboken home.

Personal life

On May 19, 1894, Esther Maria Lewis married Charles Merrill Chapin at Trinity Church in Hoboken.[6] They had two children:

  • Mary Stevens Chapin (born November 10, 1895)
  • Charles Merrill Chapin, Jr. (born May 27, 1898).[2]

In 1959, Lewis died in Bernardsville, New Jersey at the age of 88.[1]

References
  1. Brogan, Hugh; Mosley, Charles (1994). American Presidential Families. Alan Sutton. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7509-0582-4.
  2. Sorley, Merrow Egerton (1979) [1935]. Lewis of Warner Hall. Genealogical Publishing Company. pp. 223–224. ISBN 9780806308319.
  3. "Spencer-Churchill Property, Worth Gown Highlight Doyle New York Offerings". Antiques and the Arts Online. 2001-05-29. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
  4. Silberman, Vanessa (November 2001). "Auction Block". Art Business News. Retrieved 2009-07-14.
  5. Craven, Wayne (2008). Gilded Mansions. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 219. ISBN 978-0-393-06754-5.
  6. "Chapin-Lewis". The New York Times. 1894-05-20. p. 4. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
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