Photos: Edith Wharton
photographed by Annie Leibovitz1/8WRITER'S RETREAT
“She wanted, passionately and persistently, two things which she believed should subsist together in any well-ordered life: amusement and respectability,” Wharton (here, played by model Natalia Vodianova) would write in her 1913 novel The Custom of the Country. She found it at The Mount, where she lived from 1903 to 1908.
Nina Ricci silk dress, made for Vogue. Manolo Blahnik boots.
Fashion Editor: Grace Coddington
photographed by Annie Leibovitz2/8A WOMAN OF LETTERS
Anna Bahlmann (actress Juno Temple, near left) was Wharton’s faithful secretary and lifelong confidante.
On Vodianova: Alberta Ferretti chiffon dress with crystal collar. On Temple: Ralph Lauren Collection jacket and skirt, made for Vogue. Vintage Ralph Lauren Collection lace blouse.
photographed by Annie Leibovitz3/8MISTRESS OF HER FATE
To escape the heat, Wharton, accompanied by intimates Henry James (novelist Jeffrey Eugenides, far left) and Morton Fullerton (actor Jack Huston, far right), motored over the hills and valleys, her loyal chauffeur, Charles Cook (actor Elijah Wood) at the wheel.
On Vodianova: Donna Karan New York pinstriped coat. Stephen Jones Millinery hat. On Eugenides: Paul Stuart coat. On Wood: Coat from Angels the Costumiers. On Huston: Polo Ralph Lauren suit.
photographed by Annie Leibovitz4/8ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS
Nearby Chesterwood was the country home and studio of dear friend and sculptor Daniel Chester French (artist Nate Lowman, center), who would go on to design the statue for the Lincoln Memorial.
Chanel black embroidered tulle dress. On Lowman: Budd Shirtmakers shirt and bow tie. On Eugenides: Polo Ralph Lauren suit. Henry James bust by Ian CR Martin.
photographed by Annie Leibovitz5/8LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON
With Fullerton, Wharton revealed a side of herself—vulnerable, passionate—that she usually reserved for characters in her fiction. Despite his personal feelings, James encouraged the affair, writing to her, “Live it all through.”
Rochas silk blouse and duchesse-silk skirt, made for Vogue. Stephen Jones Millinery hat.
photographed by Annie Leibovitz6/8GUESTS OF HONOR
Wharton’s starry, intellectual circle included, from left, her niece, Beatrix Farrand (actress Mamie Gummer); James; diplomat Walter Berry (writer Junot Díaz); Fullerton; architect Ogden Codman, Jr. (writer Jonathan Safran Foer); and painter Maxfield Parrish (actor Max Minghella).
On Vodianova: Louis Vuitton sequined jacket, matching dress, hat, and gloves. On Gummer: Vintage Ralph Lauren Collection blouse. Lanvin duchesse skirt. On Eugenides: Burberry London suit.
photographed by Annie Leibovitz7/8STRONG STANCE
Although accustomed to battles of the drawing-room—not battlefield—variety, Wharton shared with her friend Theodore Roosevelt (actor James Corden, center) a personal vigor, self-discipline, and fighting spirit that seemed uniquely American.
Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière canvas jacket with leather sleeves and skirt, made for Vogue. On Corden and Eugenides: Polo Ralph Lauren suits.
photographed by Annie Leibovitz8/8A STUDY OF DESIRE
Nothing would have interested James more than watching his two friends Wharton and Fullerton as they circled each other.
Oscar de la Renta tulle blouse, black gilet, and bustle skirt, made for Vogue. In this story: hair, Julien d’Ys for Julien d’Ys; makeup, Stéphane Marais. Production design, Mary Howard.
Men’s styling, Hannah Teare. Shot on location at The Mount, Lenox, Massachusetts, and at Chesterwood, Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
