Sara Murphy

Gerald Clery Murphy was born on March 26, 1888, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a member of the Murphy family, owners of the Mark Cross Company, renowned for selling fine leather goods. Murphy was of Irish-American descent. His father was Patrick Francis Murphy (1858–1931), and he had two siblings: Frederic Timothy Murphy (1884–1924) and Esther Knesborough (1897–1962). From childhood, Murphy exhibited an interest in the arts and Aesthetics, preferring artistic pursuits over the business and social activities directed by his family. Despite three unsuccessful attempts to pass the entrance examinations at Yale University, he eventually matriculated there, where he participated in the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and was inducted into the Skull and Bones society. Murphy developed friendships during his time at Yale, notably with Cole Porter (Yale class of 1913), whom he introduced to his social circle and whom he helped become involved in composing music for Yale musicals.

Sara Sherman Wiborg was born on November 7, 1883, in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a member of the Wiborg family, which accumulated wealth through manufacturing chemicals; her father, Frank Bestow Wiborg, was a self-made millionaire who owned a printing ink and varnish company. Her mother, Adeline Sherman Wiborg, was related to the Sherman family, including Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman and Senator John Sherman. During her teenage years, Sara and her sisters, Hoytie and Olga, spent time in Germany, where they engaged in singing at social gatherings. The Wiborg family later resided in New York City and East Hampton, where they built The Dunes, a large estate on 600 acres, in 1912. Wiborg Beach in East Hampton bears the family’s name.

Murphy and Wiborg met as adolescents in East Hampton. Murphy was five years younger than Wiborg; they initially maintained a platonic relationship before becoming engaged in 1915, when Sara was 32 years old. Their families disapproved of the marriage: Sara's parents because Murphy was considered "in trade," and Gerald's parents due to their general dissatisfaction with his pursuits. Following their marriage, the couple initially lived at 50 West 11th Street in New York City and had three children. In 1921, they relocated to Paris to avoid familial disapproval and to pursue artistic endeavors. During their time in Paris, Murphy began painting, and the couple established connections with influential artists and writers.

Eventually, Gerald and Sara Murphy moved to the French Riviera, where they became central figures in a social circle of prominent artists and writers, including Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, Fernand Léger, Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, Archibald MacLeish, John O'Hara, Cole Porter, Dorothy Parker, and Robert Benchley. Their presence on the Riviera contributed to a cultural revival, notably transforming the region into a summer destination once they convinced the Hôtel du Cap to remain open during the summer months in 1923. They purchased a villa named Villa America in Cap d'Antibes, where they resided for many years.

The Murphys had three children: Baoth, Patrick, and Honoria. Patrick was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1929, prompting the family to seek treatment in Switzerland. They returned to the United States in 1934; Gerald remained in Manhattan to lead the Mark Cross company as president until 1956, after which he ceased painting. In the U.S., Sara moved to Saranac Lake, New York, to care for Patrick. The family faced tragedies when Baoth died of meningitis in 1935, and Patrick died of tuberculosis in 1937. The Murphys later lived at The Dunes estate but demolished it by 1941 due to its deteriorating condition, moving into a renovated dairy barn.

Gerald Murphy died on October 17, 1964, in East Hampton, shortly after the death of his friend Cole Porter. Sara Murphy died on October 10, 1975, in Arlington, Virginia. Their lives and social circle have been influential in American cultural history, inspiring characters in literary works such as F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Tender Is the Night" and Hemingway’s "The Garden of Eden." Gerald Murphy’s paintings, created primarily between 1921 and 1929, include works in a Precisionist and Cubist style, with some influence on the emerging pop art movement. Notable works include "Razor" (1924) and "Watch" (1925), both held at the Dallas Museum of Art. Pablo Picasso painted several portraits of Sara Murphy in 1923, including "Femme assise les bras croisés" and "Portrait de Sarah Murphy."

The Murphy family archives, including papers of Sara and Gerald, are maintained at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. Some objects from the Mark Cross Company are housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.