Brooke Astor Speaking

Brooke Astor was one of New York's elite and one of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's most generous patrons. She was married to Vincent Astor (among others), eldest son of John Jacob Astor IV who died when the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage. After Vincent Astor's death she ran his Astor Foundation (until 1997 when it was liquidated) and served on the board of the Met, planning and paying for the Astor Court that is part of the Metropolitan Museum today. She also worked with the New York Public library extensively as well as The Animal Medical Center and expressed her philanthropic philosophy rather eloquently when she stated:  

Money is like manure; it's not worth a thing unless it's spread around. 

The end of her life was marred by the elder abuse scandal that arose when it was revealed her son, Anthony Marshall, had been stealing her assets and leaving her in squalor inside her Park Avenue apartment. Her legacy as a woman of style, impeccable manners and a lasting philanthropic legacy will no doubt supersede the darkness & betrayal of her final years. At Sothebys on September 24th and 25th, you can purchase a piece of that legacy through a series of auctions. On sale are portraits of her beloved dogs, jewelry, paintings, jewelry cases, coffee table books and luggage. The items are currently on display at Sothebys Auction House in Manhattan. The proceeds of the auction (estimated to be more than $9 million) will go towards some of Brooke Astor's charities including the Met Museum.

Below are some highlights of the auction's exhibit courtesy of Katie Armour, Editor in Chief of Matchbook Magazine: