Madame de Pompadour, confidante and former mistress of King Louis XV of France, was the force behind the design and construction of the Petit Trianon (see photo) at Versailles in the 1760s. Roughly a century later, architect Richard Morris Hunt used the “little palace” as a model when designing Marble House. And like its predecessor, Marble House was built for and given to a woman. In this case Alva Vanderbilt. Marble House is open daily. newportmansions.org. #MarbleHouse #NewportMansions #History #DiscoverNewport #TheClassicCoast #VisitNewEngland