Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (January 9, 1875 ? April 18, 1942), American sculptor, art patron and collector, and founder in 1931 of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. She was a prominent social figure and hostess, who was born into the United States Vanderbilt family and married into the Whitney family.During World War I, Gertrude Whitney dedicated a great deal of her time and money to various relief efforts, establishing and maintaining a hospital for wounded soldiers in Juilly, about 35 km northwest of Paris in France. Following the end of the War, she was involved in the creation of a number of commemorative sculptures. Pictured in The Tatler at the time the recently completed sculpture, The Fountain of El Dorado, had been completed to critical acclaim. She also sculpted the memorial to the victims of the Titanic erected in Potomac Park, Washington.