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Photos: Gloria Vanderbilt 1924-2019

Gloria Vanderbilt, the intrepid heiress, artist and romantic who began her extraordinary life as the “poor little rich girl” of the Great Depression, survived family tragedy and multiple marriages and reigned during the 1970s and ’80s as a designer jeans pioneer, died Monday at the age of 95.

Gloria Vanderbilt, who is now married to TV director Sidney Lumet, was the picture of a determined mother at State Supreme Court in New York June 5, 1959 during her current legal battle to win full time custody of her two sons from ex-husband, conductor Leopold Stokowski. In the background is her attorney Arnold Krakower. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano)

Railroad heiress Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski is seen in this March 1946 photograph. (AP Photo)

Accompanied by a bodyguard, a nurse, and a chauffeur, little Gloria Vanderbilt enters the home of her mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, in midtown Manhattan, New York, April 22, 1935, for a Easter weekend visit. Nicknamed "poor little rich girl" by the press, the 11-year-old heiress to a $ 4,000 000 fortune from her late father, Reginald Vanderbilt, is subject of a fierce custody battle between her mother and her paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, who was granted with legal guardianship over her niece. (AP Photo)

11-year-old heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, center, and her friend, Louise Hutchinson, sit atop a wooden railing at the United Hunts Racing Association meet at Roslyn, on New York's Long Island, on May 24, 1935. The girls are accompanied by Gloria's paternal aunt and noted horsewoman, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. (AP Photo)

While the decision as to her custody is being pondered by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, little Gloria Vanderbilt and her paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, visit a circus and fair held annually at the Manhasset estate of Mrs. Vanderbilt Whitney on New York's Long Island, June 7, 1935. Nicknamed "poor little rich girl" by the press, the 11-year-old heiress to a $ 4,000 000 fortune from her late father, Reginald Vanderbilt, is subject of a fierce custody battle between her mother and aunt. (AP Photo)

Little Gloria Vanderbilt, center, canters away from the Vanderbilt Whitney estate at Westbury, on New York's Long Island, as the Meadow Brook Hunt starts on November 30, 1936. The 12-year-old heiress to a $ 4,000 000 fortune of her late father, Reginal Vanderbilt, is subject of a fierce custody battle between her mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, and her paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt, 13-year-old heiress to the $ 4,000 000 fortune of her late father, Reginald Vanderbilt, is shown in this January 20, 1938 photograph. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt, 14-year-old heiress to the $ 4,000 000 fortune of her late father, Reginald Vanderbilt, sells balloons at a lawn festival at Harbour Court, residence of Mr. Nicholas Brown and his wife, Anne Kinsolving Brown, in Newport, R. I., July 13, 1938. (AP Photo)

GLORIA VANDERBILT COOPER Gloria Vanderbilt Cooper poses with one of her paintings, at her private studio in New York City, April 5, 1966. (AP Photo)

Fashion Designers America's foremost fashion designers get together Tuesday, February 4, 1981 for a taping of an episode of ABC-TV's "Love Boat" in which the elite group will appear, portraying themselves. The designers, from left, Bob Mackie, Halston, Gloria Vanderbilt and Geoffrey Beene, will appear on the show, to be aired in May, accompanied by models showing styles most closely identified with each designer. (AP Photo/Fong)

Gloria Vanderbilt, 15-year-old American heiress, left, chats with Canadian singer/actress Deanna Durbin during a luncheon at the studio commisary in Hollywood, Calif., June 26, 1939. (AP Photo)

Actor George Montgomery arrives for the premiere of the motion picture "Charley's Aunt," escorted by 17-year-old railroad heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, left, and Cobina Wright Jr., in Hollywood, Calif., August 2, 1941. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt, 17-year-old heiress to the $ 4,000 000 fortune of her late father, Reginald Vanderbilt, celebrates her engagement to Pasquale "Pat" Di Cicco, a Hollywood actor's agent, at New York's Stork Club, December 12, 1941. Gloria's mother, Mrs. Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, announced that the couple will marry on Christmas Day in California. (AP Photo)

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Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski, left, her cousin Cornelius "Sonny" Vanderbilt Whitney and his wife arrive at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York to attend the Met's 68th season premiere performance, November 10, 1952. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski is seen at opening night of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in New York City, April 1, 1953. Mrs. Stokowski is chairwoman of the circus committee for the United Cerabral Palsy of NYC. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski volunteers as a model at the March of Dimes Fashion Show at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, February, 1954. Here Mrs. Vanderbilt Stokowski models a Leslie Morris creation, an organza evening gown decorated with blossoms of lilac. (AP Photo)

Railroad heiress Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski, center, appears with other cast members in a curtain call after her succesful theatrical debut in Ferenc Molnar's romantic fable "The Swan," at Pocono Playhouse in Mountainhome, Pa., on August 16, 1954. To her left is Halliwell Hobbes, in the role of Father Hyacinth, to her right is Peter Donat as tutor Dr. Agi; others are unidentified. (AP Photo)

Railroad heiress Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski appears on stage after her theatrical debut in Ferenc Molnar's romantic fable "The Swan," at Pocono Playhouse in Mountainhome, Pa., August 16, 1954. Her performance in the role as Princess Alexandra, who fells in love with a commoner, was called "successful" for an acting novice. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski, whose recent separation from her husband of nine years, symphony conductor Leopold Stokowski, was reported earlier the day, is seated next to singer Frank Sinatra at the Alvin Theater in New York, December 30, 1954, as she attends the opening of the Broadway musical production "House of Flowers." (AP Photo)

Heiress Gloria Vanderbilt is seated beside singer Frank Sinatra, left, at the Alvin Theater in New York, Dec. 30, 1954. The 30-year-old Vanderbilt was recently separated from her husband, symphony conductor Leopold Stokowski. (AP Photo/John Lent)

Heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, right, and Frank Sinatra leave Berkshire Hotel in New York City after having lunch together, Dec. 31, 1954. (AP Photo/John Rooney)

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Gloria Vanderbilt, center, who made her New York debut in "The Time of Your Life" at Nina's La Rue, on East 58th Street, in New York, January 19, 1955 At the table from left: Franchot Tone; Vanderbilt and Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly. (AP Photo/Matty Zimmerman)

Gloria Vanderbilt talks to a reporter upon her arrival at Idlewild Airport in New York, October 29, 1955. The 31-year-old railroad heiress just returned from Mexico, where she obtained a divorce from her husband, symphony conductor Leopold Stokowski. She also said that she and singer Frank Sinatra, with whom her name has been linked romantically, were "very, very good friends." (AP Photo)

Heiress Gloria Vanderbilt and her husband, director Sidney Lumet, attend premiere of the picture "Trapeze" at the Capitol Theater in New York, June 4, 1956. (AP Photo/Hans von Nolde)

Gloria Vanderbilt is shown with her third husband, director Sidney Lumet at their wedding in New York City, Aug. 27, 1956. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano)

Heiress Gloria Vanderbilt, one-time "poor little rich girl," and her new husband, TV and stage director Sidney Lumet, smile following their quiet wedding in a New York apartment, Aug. 27, 1956. It is the third marriage for 32-year-old Gloria, and the second for Lumet. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano)

Gloria Vanderbilt, 32, and television director Sidney Lumet, 32, toast each other as they stand by their wedding cake following their marriage in the New York City apartment of playwright Sidney Kingsley. It is Gloria's third marriage and Lumet's second. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano)

Best man Sidney Kingsley, right, kisses the bride, Gloria Vanderbilt, after she was married to television director Sidney Lumet, second from left, in New York City August 27, 1956. Matron of honor Carol Grace, left, waits her turn to congratulate Gloria. Wedding took place in playwright Kingsley's apartment. It was the third for Gloria, 32, and the second for Lumet, also 32. (AP Photo/Anthony Camerano)

Gloria Vanderbilt is pictured with her husband Sidney Lumet after a storm halted her performance at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J., Aug. 28, 1956. She appears as Princess Olympia in "The Spa." The storm doused the theater lights and the performance was called off. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt appears at felony court to swear to a complaint against Humberto Travali, of the Bronx, July 1, 1958, in New York City. Travali is charged with the theft of jewelry valued at approximately $75, 000 from Vanderbilt's home at Gracie's Square on Manhattan's Upper East Side. (AP Photo/H.Harris)

Gloria Vanderbilt Lumet appears in the role of a Russian noblewoman in a scene for "The United States Steel Hours" on a CBS television show, February 3, 1959. The play is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel "Family Happiness." (AP Photo)

This is an April 1966 photo of fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt arrives with her playwright husband, Wyatt Cooper, at a party given for Lady Bird Johnson in New York City, June 2, 1966. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt is shown at a Truman Capote masquerade party with her husband Wyatt Cooper, November 28, 1966. (AP Photo)

Socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, left, is shown with her husband actor Wyatt Cooper at a Truman Capote party in New York, May 6, 1968. (AP Photo/Dave Pickoff)

Gloria Vanderbilt Cooper arrives for the Ethel Merman-Mary Martin benefit at the Broadway Theater in New York City, May 15, 1977. Her escort is unidentified. (AP Photo)

GLORIA VANDERBILT AND ERTE Gloria Vanderbilt Cooper is shown with costume designer and illustrator Erte at his 90th birthday party in New York, on November 9, 1982. (AP Photo)

GLORIA VANDERBILT AND MOTHER Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, right, poses with her daughter Gloria in this April 13, 1934 photograph, made after a Supreme Court decision placed the girl under the custody of her paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. The 10-year-old heiress to a $4,000 000 fortune from her late father, Reginald Vanderbilt, is subject of a fierce custody battle between mother and aunt. (AP Photo)

VANDERBILT Gloria Vanderbilt poses for a photo Oct. 22, 2004, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Vanderbilt has written a slim new memoir titled "It Seemed Important at the Time: A Romance Memoir." (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Gloria Vanderbilt, the famous American heiress, and her husband, Pat DeCicco, a movie executive, clasp their hands together to make the first cut in their wedding cake at the reception on Jan. 12, 1942 at the Beverly Hills home of the Brides mothers, Mrs. Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, following their marriage at Santa Barbara, California. (AP Photo)

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Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski sits out a recess in an arbitration proceeding in New York City on July 10, 1956, in which playwright Maximilian Ilyin claims she refused to consent to the sale of a script she co-authored with him. Ilyin said the script was titled Gloria and that it was a story of an American heiress. Mrs. Stokowski declined to say why she has refused to permit sale of the story. Dispute is being arbitrated under a contract clause calling for arbitration where the co-authors disagree. (AP Photo/Jacob Harris)

Sidney Lumet and wife, Gloria Vanderbilt attend the Philharmonic opening at Carnegie Hall in New York City Oct. 2, 1958. (AP Photo/Matty Zimmerman)

Gloria Vanderbilt arrives with her husband Wyatt Cooper at Truman Capote's Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom in New York City on November 28, 1966. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt, twelve year old heiress to the fortune of her late father, Reginald Vanderbilt, at the Piping Rock Horse Show, New York on October 7, 1935. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt-DiCicco and her husband Pat DiCicco are shown on their honeymoon at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Ariz., Jan. 3, 1942. They continued eastward by car to El Paso, Texas. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt attends the premiere of "Nothing Left Unsaid" at the Time Warner Center on Monday, April 4, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Railroad heiress Gloria Vanderbilt Cooper is seen in this January 4, 1964 photograph. (AP Photo)

Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt attend the premiere of "Nothing Left Unsaid" at the Time Warner Center on Monday, April 4, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

In this photo provided by StarPix, designers Diane von Furstenberg, left, and Gloria Vanderbilt attend a celebration for the release of Vanderbilt's new book "Obsession" Wednesday, July 16, 2009 in New York, (AP Photo/Amanda Schwab, Starpix)

In this photo provided by StarPix, designer Gloria Vanderbilt. right and Barbara Walters attend a celebration for the release of Vanderbilt's new book "Obsession" Wednesday, July 16, 2009 in New York, (AP Photo/Amanda Schwab, Starpix)

Wyatt Cooper, New York publisher, and his wife, Gloria Vanderbilt, pose before their Christmas tree before a party at their apartment in New York, Jan. 6, 1970. Ms. Vanderbilt is wearing her original creation. (AP Photo/John Lent)

Gloria Vanderbilt attends the Hollywood premiere of "Charley's Aunt" with film star George Montgomery, left, in Los Angeles, Calif., Aug. 3, 1941. The 17-year-old heiress was the center of a three-way custody suit in 1934. She has been on an extensive visit to Hollywood. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt, left, who made her New York stage debut in the play "The Time of Your Life," attends a party at Nina's La Rue on E.58th St. after the performance on Jan. 19, 1955. Paula Laurence, another cast member, sits with Gloria. (AP Photo/Matty Zimmerman)

Gloria Vanderbilt, left and director Liz Garbus participate in the panel for "Nothing Left Unsaid - Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper" at the HBO 2016 Winter TCA on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski, wife of conductor Leopold Stokowski, and artist Charles Baskerville attend the Knickerbocker Ball at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, Dec. 12, 1952. The event was a benefit for the New York Foundling Hospital. (AP Photo/Tom Fitzsimmons)

Gloria Vanderbilt participates in the panel for "Nothing Left Unsaid - Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper" at the HBO 2016 Winter TCA on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016, in Pasadena, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski Lumet is shown leaving the Supreme Court for lunch recess in New York, June 6, 1959. She and her former husband, Leopold Stokowski, are in a closed hearing custody battle over their two children. Gloria is seeking complete custody of the children, Chris, 7, and Stan, 8. Stokowski wants part time custody. (AP Photo/Harry Harris)

Sheila Nevins, left, Anderson Cooper, Gloria Vanderbilt and Liz Garbus attend the premiere of "Nothing Left Unsaid" at the Time Warner Center on Monday, April 4, 2016, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Gloria Vanderbilt and her husband Wyatt Cooper arrive at the premiere of "Hello Dolly" in New York, Dec. 16, 1969. (AP Photo)

Gloria Vanderbilt Stokowski, right, wife of conductor Leopold Stokowski, chats with Phyllis Kahgan and Franklin Karples at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Calif., July 11, 1945. They were awaiting the start of the first concert of the 1945 "Symphonies Under the Stars" series. Leopold Stokowski directed the orchestra. (AP Photo)

Four of America's foremost fashion designers, from left to right: Halston; Bob Mackie; Gloria Vanderbilt and Geoffrey Beene pose on the set of the"Love Boat" at Warner Brothers Studio in Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 3, 1981. They will portray themselves on a special two-hour fashion themed episode of the top rated ABC series. (AP Photo/Wally Fong)

Acting on television, Gloria Vanderbilt, the former wife of conductor Leopold Stokowski, questions little Karen Lee about a missing dollar bill in "Seed of Guilt," on CBS TV's "The United State Steel Hour," on Aug. 7, 1959. Miss Vanderbilt has performed in a number of stage and TV plays. the location is unknown. (AP Photo)

Almost lost between her burly escorts, little Gloria Vanderbilt is shown as she arrives at the home of her mother, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, in midtown New York, December 22, 1934, for the first week-end visit authorized by Surpreme Court Justice Carew after he placed the girl under the guardianship of her paternal aunt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Nicknamed "poor little rich girl" by the press, the 10-year-old heiress to a $ 4,000 000 fortune from her late father, Reginald Vanderbilt, is subject of a fierce custody battle between her mother and aunt. Here she wears a plaid woolen duffle coat and matching hat. (AP Photo)

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