Vernon Court and National Museum of American Illustration, Newport

Vernon Court, designed by the renowned architectural firm Carrère and Hastings, is a magnificent estate and a testament to the opulence and architectural grandeur of its time.

The design of Vernon Court draws inspiration from the elegance of an 18th-century French mansion, the Château d'Haroué. Constructed in the year 1900, it was intended to serve as a splendid summer cottage for Anna Van Nest Gambrill (1865–1927), the widow of New York lawyer Richard Augustine Gambrill. Anna Gambrill was not only heir to her husband's wealth but had also inherited a substantial fortune from her father, Alexander T. Van Nest, a prominent figure in the railroad industry.

The Gambrill family retained ownership of the property until 1956, when it went to auction. Subsequently, from 1963 to 1972, Vernon Court served as the administration building for Vernon Court Junior College, an exclusive all-girls school. In the following decades, it passed through the hands of various owners, each contributing to its storied history.

Today, Vernon Court has found a new purpose as the custodian of American illustration. The mansion has been transformed into a museum, housing an extensive collection of American illustrative art. The collection boasts over 2,000 original works by celebrated American illustrators, including luminaries like Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, J. C. Leyendecker, N.C. Wyeth, and many more. The architectural splendor of the Gilded Age in which Vernon Court was born harmoniously aligns with the "Golden Age of American Illustration," the central theme of the museum's collection.