Elsie de Wolfe, also known as Lady Mendl,[1] (December 20, 1865?[2][3] – July 12, 1950) was an American actress, interior decorator, nominal author of the influential 1913 book The House in Good Taste,[4] and a prominent figure in New York, Paris, and London society. According to The New Yorker, "Interior Design as a profession was invented by Elsie de Wolfe."[5] During her married life, the press usually referred to her as Lady Mendl. She was born in New York and died in Versailles, France.