The Wadsworths Move to Washington. Their Gilded Age Mansion Now the Sulgrave Club

In the 1890s, millionaire gentleman farmer Herbert Wadsworth and his wife Martha Blow Wadsworth were enjoying country living on their estate “Ashantee” in Avon, New York. Herbert's life centered around the vast family landholdings and agriculture in the Geneseo Valley. Martha, who hailed from a distinguished St. Louis family, was an exceptional horsewoman, talented pianist, watercolorist, as well as a prolific photographer.

Herbert Wadsworth with their dog Bonhomme at their Avon home, Ashantee. This photo may well have been taken by Martha Wadsworth. New York Heritage Digital Collections.

For the upper classes during the Gilded Age, winters were the time of the “social season” that took place between Thanksgiving and the beginning of Lent in several of the larger east coast cities. The season was marked by exclusive dinner parties, balls, house concerts, and other events. The Wadsworths would often travel from upstate New York for extended periods of time to participate in the seasons i…