Gary Lawrance Shares Mansions of the Gilded Age on Instagram

Architect and author of Houses of the Hamptons 1880–1930 (with Anne Surchin) Gary Lawrance is well known for his work on many beautiful Hamptons homes—specifically his mind-boggling models. But Lawrance is also one of the region’s foremost experts on the homes, people and customs of the Gilded Age, the period in America from around the 1870s–1900, and he’s been delighting architecture and history fans with related pictures on his @mansionsofthegildedage Instagram account.

The account, which has gained nearly 5,000 followers in the 15 months since Lawrance created it, celebrates the glamour and beauty of the time, and looks to preserve the Gilded Age mansions for the public through photographs and raise awareness of their beauty before they’re torn down—a sadly all-too-common occurrence.

While Lawrance includes images of Gilded Age homes from various parts of Long Island, New York City and areas all over the country on his page—including Newport, Rhode Island; Palm Beach, Florida; Tarrytown, NY; San Francisco, California; to name a few—the Hamptons often features prominently. We’ve included some images of Hamptons homes and people, as well as a few standouts from points west, below.