US-RiNpPs-PSNCA.H.052 Guide to Eastbourne Lodge children's fete photographs1937 The Preservation Society of Newport County 2025
424 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI 02840 Tel: 401-847-1000 museumaffairs@newportmansions.org
Finding aid encoded by archivist Genna Duplisea, 4 December 2025 English Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) 9 April 2026: Genna Duplisea revised the Preferred Citation note for the collection. 6 January 2026: Collection number updated to PSNCA.H.052. English The Preservation Society of Newport County
424 Bellevue Avenue Newport, RI 02840 Tel: 401-847-1000 museumaffairs@newportmansions.org
Unknown Eastbourne Lodge children's fete photographs 1937 Eastbourne Lodge children's fete photographs .125 linear feet (1 expansion file) Photographic prints and negatives from a 1937 children's fete given by the Whitehouse family at Eastbourne Lodge, Newport. PSNCA.H.052 Collection Information

The collection contains 13 images of a party for children at Eastbourne Lodge, including shots of children in large groups, in small tableaux, and in pairs. Most images include both a negative and a photographic print. Item 13 is a duplicate of item 11, and image 14 only exists as a negative.

All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the PSNC Archives and Special Collections are requested to contact the archivist, prior to reproducing, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although the Preservation Society has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim copyright ownership. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the copyright and to obtain any necessary permission from them.

The prints are very fragile, so the collection has been digitized to minimize handling. Please contact Archives and Special Collections if you need to arrange physical access to these materials.

Description or title of item, PSNCA.H.052: Eastbourne Lodge children's fete photographs, Box #, Folder #, Preservation Society of Newport County, Newport, RI.

The collection is organized to the item level in a single series, foldered by medium.

 Biographical and Historical Information

Eastbourne Lodge is a Tudor-inspired mansion built by the Whitehouse family. It sits on land bounded on the west by Rhode Island Avenue and on the east by Prairie Avenue. The house is now privately-owned and divided into condominiums.

William Fitzhugh Whitehouse (1842-1909), a New York City lawyer, built Eastbourne Lodge. He and his wife Frances Sheldon (1852–1944 were the parents of diplomat Edwin Sheldon Whitehouse (1883-1965), Norman Ogden Whitehouse (1887-1977); Henry John Whitehouse (1874-1965); William Fitzhugh Whitehouse Jr. (1877-1955); Lily Whitehouse; and Frances Whitehouse (1873-1936).

Edwin Sheldon Whitehouse married Mary Crocker Alexander (1895-1986) in 1920. She is the “Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse” referred to on the envelope fragment in the collection. The party was for their children: Charles Sheldon Whitehouse (1921–2001), later the United States Ambassador to Laos and Thailand; George Bruen Whitehouse (1923–1944); and Sylvia Whitehouse (1927-). Several articles in the Newport Mercury and Weekly News mention the Whitehouses hosting parties for children in the 1930s.

 Gift of Brittain Bardes, 2013. Purchased by the donor from an unknown source. Archivist Genna Duplisea processed the collection and wrote the finding aid in December 2025.

Digital versions of collections items are available for viewing at newportmansions.rediscoverysoftware.com

 Additional accruals are not expected. “In Social Circles: Children’s Parties,” Newport Mercury and Weekly News, September 23, 1932, p. 4. https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/24385621/. Accessed December 3, 2025. “In Social Circles,” Newport Mercury and Weekly News, July 15, 1938, p. 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/16374120/. Accessed December 3, 2025. “In Social Circles,” Newport Mercury and Weekly News, September 1, 1939, p. 3. https://www.newspapers.com/image-view/24495518/. Accessed December 3, 2025. Types of Materials photographs Subjects Children's parties Places Newport, R.I. Eight children standing on front steps in a royal tableau 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.001 Child in bonnet and child in military uniform costume standing on exterior steps 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.002 Child in frilled dress and child in feathered hat with a bolero jacket standing on exterior steps 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.003 Child in overalls and child in a dress with a headband stand holding hands on exterior steps 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.004 Eight children standing on steps in a royal tableau 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.005 Child in dress and tiara and child wearing a crown and cape standing on exterior steps 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.006 Group of children sitting and standing on a lawn in front of a tree in three rows 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.007 Group of children sitting and standing on a lawn in front of a tree in three rows 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.008 Group of children sitting and standing on a lawn in front of a tree in three rows 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.009 Group of children sitting and standing on a lawn in front of a tree in three rows 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.010 Eleven children standing in three rows on exterior steps, wearing costumes 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.011 Eleven children standing in three rows on exterior steps, wearing costumes 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.013 Eleven children standing in three rows on exterior steps, wearing costumes 1 1 1937 PSNCA.H.052.012 Group of children sitting and standing on a lawn in front of a tree in three rows 1 2 1937 PSNCA.H.052.014 Envelope fragment 1 3 1937 PSNCA.H.052.015 Envelope fragment 1 3 1937 PSNCA.H.052.016