Silver and gold, apples and a pumpkin

The chapel on the day of the 100th anniversary commemoration of the Harkness wedding.

Harkness Chapel observed the 100th wedding anniversary of Mary E. Stillman and Edward S. Harkness Nov. 15 by handing out 75 pounds of apples, recalling the couple’s contribution to the college, and borrowing — for one weekend — the iconic portrait of Mrs. Harkness from Harkness House.

Apples?

When the Harknesses were married at the Stillman family home in Manhattan on Nov. 15, 1904, one of their gifts was a barrel of apples and a huge pumpkin. Mrs. Harkness’ beloved nanny, long retired, surprised everyone by appearing at the house the day of the wedding with gifts she had grown on her property in New Jersey.

According to the front page of the next day’s New York Times, the family moved aside more conventional wedding presents of gold and silver to give the pumpkin a place of honor.

For the anniversary, a large barrel of apples was set up at the front of the nave in Harkness Chapel, near the steps leading to the altar. Next to the barrel was a pumpkin. The portrait of Mrs. Harkness hung on the west wall. Information about the painting was set up nearby with a handout that told the story of the Harkness’ marriage.

Salisbury's portrait of Mary Harkness hung in the chapel for the day.

The painting was the work of Frank O. Salisbury (1874-1962), a British artist known for his portraits of the wealthy and prominent people of his day, including King George V, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Salisbury’s work was a gift to the College when Harkness House was dedicated in 1934. It has hung above the mantel in the residence hall’s dining room almost continuously since then.

The Harknesses met in the Berkshires in the summer of 1903. She was drawn by his quiet and sincere manner. “Here was a man whom I could trust,” Mrs. Harkness said in a 1949 biography of her husband.

Both of their families were well off: The Stillmans were descendants of a prosperous Mystic shipbuilder and the Harknesses were original investors in the Standard Oil Co. Both families felt a duty to use their wealth wisely. Together, Edward (1874-1940) and Mary (1874-1950) Harkness gave away an estimated $120 million. Mrs. Harkness said their partnership worked because they balanced each other. He was practical and reserved, she more outgoing and intuitive.

They contributed to the founding of the College in 1911, and Mrs. Harkness gave the College a residence hall, Harkness House, in addition to the chapel. She also gave money for the infirmary and library.

Mrs. Harkness took a keen interest in campus life. She visited “her dorm” frequently, always driven to the College by her chauffeur from her summer home in Waterford, and she played an active role in the design of the chapel. Mrs. Harkness chose the color of the seat cushions (plum), approved the colors of the glass in the windows and insisted that the steeple be stone, not wood.

After their wedding, the Harknesses hired James Gamble Rogers to design their new home, an Italian Renaissance mansion a few blocks from the Stillman family’s residence. Rogers went on to design many buildings financed by Harkness philanthropy — including the chapel. It was finished in 1940.