Weathering the Great Depression in Rome: The Letters of Henry Montgomery of Tuxedo Park



Presentation by Author Margaret A. Brucia

Newlyweds Florence ("Folly") Gayley and Henry Eglinton Montgomery, 2nd settled into the Pell House on Tower Hill Loop in Tuxedo Park in 1920. In 1931, the Montgomerys left for Rome, where they lived for nearly four years with the Count Giulio Senni and his wife, the Countess Mary Gayley Senni, Folly's sister.

Based on a treasure trove of letters discovered by remarkable chance and on Henry's own correspondence to his mother, Margaret Brucia has reconstructed events at Villa Senni almost 100 years ago, presenting a fascinating account of Depression-Era life in Italy.