Helena (de Kay) Gilder (1846-1916)

She was a granddaughter of the poet Joseph Rodman Drake. She studied art and was a one-time student of Winslow Homer and co-founded the Arts Students League and the Society of American Artists. As a hostess, she brought together writers, painters, sculptors and actors. Art historian Page Knox said that, "with her weekly Friday night gatherings, Helena de Kay effectively crafted an environment that allowed [her husband, poet and editor] Gilder to become entirely ensconced in the New York contemporary art scene... The Gilders played a uniquely progressive role in the late nineteenth century, participating in the meteoric rise of print media, helping to establish and promote a new American art world, supporting female artists, illustrators and critics, and acting as the cultural tastemakers of their time.” She had four children (listed).