Ruth Livingston Mills and the Use of Revolutionary War Iconography in Staatsburgh’s Interior Decoration

When the mansion at Staatsburgh was remodeled by Ogden and Ruth Livingston Mills in 1895, it had been more than a century since the Revolutionary War and the formation of the United States. Yet the history of Staatsburgh was closely tied with the late 18th century and the early years of this nation. The estate was originally founded in the 1790s by Ruth’s great-grandfather, Morgan Lewis. Over 100 years later, when the mansion was remodeled and redecorated, the interior décor included countless nods to Ruth’s family and key figures who were involved in the Revolutionary War and the creation of the fledgling United States. Ruth Livingston Mills was a top society hostess during the Gilded Age. Most leaders of society had mansions decorated in the French aristocratic style, but Ruth also leaned on her Revolutionary War heritage to further cement her legitimacy as the potential next “Queen” of society.

As we celebrate the Semiquincentennial of the nation in 2026, this essay will explore the ways that Ruth Livingston Mills leveraged her Revolutionary War heritage in the interior decoration of Staatsburgh. This messaging appears throughout the entire mansion, but this essay will focus on the library, which has the largest and most varied concentration of Revolutionary War collections. Since Staatburgh was Ruth’s ancestral home, it was the ideal location to showcase her venerable pedigree and show her guests the importance of her illustrious heritage.

Gilded Age Travel: The Mills Family, Friends & Servants

During the 2025 holiday season, the mansion was decorated with a travel theme to recognize the importance of travel to the Mills family, their servants, and friends.  Rooms featured specific countries where family or friends traveled as well as countries reflecting the origins of collections within the house.  Ruth and Ogden Mills traveled to Europe nearly every spring.  They often went to visit family, but they also traveled to see landmarks, museums, and the natural beauty of other lands.  Technological advancements during the Gilded Age created the ability for wealthy Americans to travel for leisure purposes and as the era progressed, more middle class families also began to travel for vacations. 

World Map, Circa 1900

Hidden Treasures of the Collection: "Mehemet Effendi, Ambassadeur Turc, arrive aux Tuileries, 21 mars 1721"

The walls of Staatsburgh’s drawing room are covered with many paintings that are nearly impossible to examine from the tour carpet. Continuing with our “Hidden Treasures of the Collection” series, this essay will take a closer look at the painting seen below, which is on the south wall of the drawing room. The oil on canvas painting depicts Mehmet Effendi, the Turkish Ambassador, and his entourage visiting Paris for the first time to have an audience with King Louis XV. It is one of many objects in the collection that is French or depicts France.

Painting in the style of Charles Parrocel, "Mehmet Effendi, the Turkish Ambassador, Entering the Tuileries to go to his audience with the King, March 21, 1721," Staatsburgh State Historic Site, NYS OPRHP

“Your Friend and Brother Soldier”: Lafayette’s 1824 Visit to Staatsburgh

The Hero of Two Worlds

On a late September morning, the steamship James Kent laid anchor in the shadow of Staatsburgh House. Stepping off the dock, 67-year-old French aristocrat Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette made his way up the hill to the Lewis family mansion. His host for the day, Staatsburgh’s founder Morgan Lewis, served with the French nobleman in the American Revolution. This year, 2024, marks the 200^th anniversary of Marquis de Lafayette’s triumphant visit to the United States—and Staatsburgh.

The original Staatsburgh, c. 1806.
P. Lodet, 1806 drawing from the Hudson River Sketchbook. 
Courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY.

Is That Napoleon?

That's Napoleon.
(ML.1974.242)

No, that's not Napoleon.

Hanging in Staatsburgh's library, the life-size portrait of Staatsburgh's founder, Morgan Lewis, dressed an early 19th century military uniform, often prompts the question "Is that Napoleon?" 

While Ruth Mills' great-grandfather is not the French emperor, there are certainly reminders of Napoleon Bonaparte throughout the house. Tucked away in the southwest corner of Staatsburgh's library is a leather-bound, four-volume set titled Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life. Sitting upon Mrs. Mills' desk in her boudoir is a small brass sealing wax stamp crowned with a bust of Napoleon Bonaparte. Besides it, there sits a small tortoise box with a cameo of Napoleon Bonaparte. Outside of the guestrooms for unmarried ladies upstairs, hung among the portraits of American presidents such as George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt, hangs a print of Jacques-Louis David's Napoleon Crossing the Alps.

In anticipation of the upcoming Napoleon Bonaparte biopic, Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the titular emperor, we wanted to share some of Staatsburgh's own connections to the wider Bonaparte family. For a woman who vied to be Queen of New York Society, Ruth Mills seemed to surround herself with images of French royalty. Yet her and her family's ties to the Bonaparte family went beyond interior decoration. Several generations of Ruth Livingston Mills' family had connections to the famous French imperial family, reaching from the gilded palaces of Paris to the American Wild West.

Hidden Treasures of the Collection: Vichy Water

One of the reasons that we initially created this blog was to be able to focus on items in Staatsburgh's collections that are tucked away, harder to see, or not highlighted on the standard house tour. The house has so many items in it, that it is impossible to cover it all on a tour. The "Hidden Treasures of the Collection" essay series provides a closer look at some of the lesser-known, yet interesting objects throughout the house and estate. This essay examines the high-end (non-alcoholic) beverage of choice for European elites, also found in Staatsburgh's pantry.

A 1975 photograph of the butler's pantry showing the Vichy bottle cabinet.