Polly Jessup: The Grande Dame of Palm Beach Decorators

Polly Jessup (1899 – 1988) was bestowed the title “Grande Dame of Palm Beach Decorators” in a 1987 New York Times editorial. Jessup was a nationally-renowned interior designer whose designs were integral to the gracious lifestyle for which Palm Beach is known. The exhibit tells the mostly unknown story of Jessup’s life and career through images of her interior design work and recollections from clients and colleagues.

The Story

Creator

Polly Jessup

Year Est.

1904-1988

A year before her death in 1987, Polly Jessup was profiled by the New York Times who declared her to be the “Grande Dame of Palm Beach Decorators.” The article by Anne-Marie Shiro highlights Jessup’s sixty years of design among the elite of Palm Beach.

INTRODUCTION

Polly created graceful and sophisticated interior décor for Palm Beach society’s biggest names – Dupont, Ford, Whitney, Mellon, Reed, and countless other socialites.

Formal living room of the Abegg’s apartment. Circa 1950s. Image courtesy of the Daniel Family

Collection."Polly had a quiet influence over the design trends in Palm Beach; her work was groundbreaking for that time period."

Ron Daniel

Polly created graceful and sophisticated interior décor for Palm Beach society’s biggest names

“She is the most enchanting woman, and does, without question, the most beautiful curtains of anybody in America, or Europe, for that matter.”

Billy Baldwin

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Polly Jessup (1899 – 1988) was bestowed the title “Grande Dame of Palm Beach Decorators” in a 1987 New York Times editorial. Jessup was a nationally-renowned interior designer

Polly Jessup

Polly created graceful and sophisticated interior décor for Palm Beach society’s biggest names

A native New Yorker, Polly Jessup (née Pauline Daniel) moved to Hobe Sound in the 1920s with her husband John Jessup. Despite a lack of formal training, Polly’s eye for color, style

New Yorker

As her reputation for understanding great quality and design grew in popularity, Polly remained a private person, avoiding publicity when possible. Many of her clients were personal friends with whom she cultivated lasting relationships, so much so that some of her clients were “the third generation in their families to be ‘Jessuped’.”

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A native New Yorker, Polly Jessup (née Pauline Daniel) moved to Hobe Sound in the 1920s with her husband John Jessup. Despite a lack of formal training, Polly’s eye for color, style, and form made her a nationally renowned interior designer whose designs were integral to the gracious lifestyle for which Palm Beach is known.

Polly Jessup. Circa 1950s. Image credit of the Daniel Family Collection.

Painted entryway into Margaret Abegg’s, Polly’s sister, NYC apartment at One Sutton Place South. Margaret and her husband Werner were avid textile collectors who started the Abegg-Stiftung Foundation in Switzerland. Circa 1950s. Image credit of the Daniel Family Collection.

The Beginnings of Jessup, Inc.

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Polly Jessup remained active in interior design for over sixty years, until her death in her Palm Beach home at the age of 89. Polly’s quiet, modest demeanor belied her extraordinary talent and success; her influence among the upper echelons of society was wide-reaching.

Formal living room of the Abegg’s apartment. Circa 1950s. Image courtesy of the Daniel Family Collection.

Dining room of Abegg’s apartment. Focal point is the map of Venice. Circa 1950s. Image courtesy of the Daniel Family Collection.

Bedroom overlooking the NYC skyline. Circa 1950s. Image courtesy of the Daniel Family Collection.

The Influence of Polly Jessup

“Polly Jessup’s taste is simply beautiful…her extravagant insistence upon quality, and quality only, has not been equaled, and her success has been without limit, and every bit of it is deserved.”

Billy Baldwin

1985

Formal living room of the Abegg’s apartment. Circa 1950s. Image courtesy of the Daniel Family Collection.

Swenson House

Restored entryway featuring original Jessup, Inc. sofa. 1999. Photograph by Stephen Leek.

John B. Ford House

The Beginnings of Jessup, Inc.

Polly’s husband, John Jessup, enjoyed woodworking, and together Polly and John put their talents to work making custom furniture for Palm Beach residents. One of their first commissions was to make furniture for the First National Bank of Palm Beach in 1927. Jessup, Inc. opened a showroom in town on Worth Avenue that moved to different storefronts throughout the years, and a warehouse on Georgia Ave in West Palm Beach. Polly had an office in her home at 209 Phipps Plaza, a popular locale for design professionals throughout the years.

Jessup, Inc. Furniture Order Form. Courtesy of Henry Brooks.

1928 Hurricane Destruction. Image courtesy of the State Archives of Florida/Herrington Family.

The Palm Beach Post December 1, 1927

History of Stereographs

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