Birds, Both Real and Decorative, at Westbury House

By Emily Werner Kitzen, Curator

You may have noticed birds decorating surfaces throughout Westbury House, but did you know that the Phipps were fond of real birds too? I recently looked through some family photos and videos in the Old Westbury Gardens Archives and came across several instances of the family enjoying time with their feathered friends.

These two photos above of Jay and Dita’s granddaughter, Susie (Michael’s daughter), were taken in the mid-1940s. Based on the carpet and wall panelling visible in the background, we can tell she is playing in the Study. Next to her are two large bird cages that held some of the Phipps’ pet birds. A yellow parrot (possibly a Golden Conure) can be seen in the further cage.

Though it’s hard to imagine parrots living in the Study now, photos like these are fascinating resources for the Preservation Department as they offer a glimpse into how the family used the objects and lived in the rooms we strive to preserve for visitors today.

Next to the real birds, Susie is playing with a small “toy” birdcage, which appears to be an early automaton, or mechanical figure. After winding a mechanism on the base of the cage, the small bird would “sing” and move its head and tail.

A similar automaton now sits on a stand in the Boudoir on the second floor of Westbury House. It was likely made in France in the late 19th century and is covered with real iridescent bird feathers that would have glimmered as it moved. On the side of the base are the words “souvenir d’amitie” (souvenir of friendship), meaning it was likely received as a gift.

Some other archival documents that capture the Phipps family’s love of birds include these stills from a 1920s home movie featuring close-ups of two of the Phipps’ parrots on a table on the South Terrace as well as a parrot perched on Michael’s hand. The full movie can be watched on our Digital Collections page on New York Heritage.

We also discovered this 1930s photo (below) of a collection of birdcages casually arranged on the South Terrace. If you look closely, you can see a large parrot on the bench in the foreground!

I love walking around Westbury House and finding new decorative details that I never noticed before. Once I started thinking about the Phipps’ love of birds I began seeing them everywhere–painted in the wallpaper and overmantel, inlaid in a wardrobe door, even perched on top of a mirror.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more birds the next time you visit Westbury House!