Her father, an East Indian trader,[2] was from Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and began his career as an importer in Boston.

Her maternal grandfather, William Ross, was the largest carriage maker in the state for a time.

He was also a magnate in transportation industries; he owned the Louisiana and Texas Railroad and Steamship Company.

She collected the paintings by Eugène Delacroix, Jean-François Millet, Charles-François Daubigny, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, and many others.

She also collected Japanese and Chinese porcelain, carved ivory and wood, lacquers, ceramics, plates, and glasswork.

The American Art Galleries held an auction at Chickering Hall of her $1.2 million (equivalent to $40,693,333 in 2023) collection in the first half of March 1886.

[2][9] Her total art collection, many of which were displayed on the walls of rooms, corridors, and stairways at her house at 7 East Twenty-Sixth Street[1] on Madison Park in New York City,[10] was estimated at $32 million (equivalent to $1,085,155,556 in 2023).

[8] Her health declined after her husband's death and she visited the Windsor Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York, for her care.