Whitney, Gertrude Vanderbilt

Whitney, Gertrude Vanderbilt

(1875–1942) sculptor, art patron; born in New York City. She studied with tutors and with various sculptors. Married to Henry Payne Whitney (1896), she established and ran a hospital in France during World War I. She lived in Greenwich Village and was an influential art patron. She established the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (1930) and is also known for her architectural sculptures, such as "Titanic Memorial," Washington, D.C. (1931).