Theme: The Enthusiast

Cheerful Chirps

With Vizcaya’s open-air construction, Deering created a space that felt like an extension of the surrounding environment. Was the addition of tropical birds at the end of his third season in the Main House just his way of furthering that sense, or did he desire the companionship of them as pets?

“A SUFFICIENT NUMBER TO MAKE A CHEERFUL AND NOT DEAFENING SOUND.”

Letter: May 2, 1916
From: James Deering, Vizcaya’s Owner
To: Paul Chalfin, Vizcaya’s Artistic Director

Reveal Transcript

Dear Mr. Chalfin:

Assuming that we have two macaws on the perches in the general southern part of the courtyard, what would you think of having a cage with a few canaries in the northwest part of the arcade, near the door. I mean just a sufficient number to make a cheerful and not a deafening sound. What would you think further of having in the northeast part of the arcade a cage of paroquets. None of these make much noise, unless it is the canaries, and as before stated I would not have enough of them to make a serious noise.

Mr. Matheson has a lot of paroquets on the key and if I understood or remember what he said, he has some hope of reestablishing them in this part of the world, where the trees were once full of them.
Yours sincerely,
JD

Copy JD.

“SECOND MACAW IS FADING AWAY”

Telegram: April, 1918
From: James Deering, Vizcaya’s Owner
To: Paul Chalfin, Vizcaya’s Artistic Director

Reveal Transcript

Second macaw is fading away will not eat cause believed to be death of companion of lack of society if you can send one please do so quickly.
JD
448 PM