Newport, R.I., generally conjures images of the Vanderbilts and the Astors and the one percent of the Gilded Age throwing lavish parties in their summer “cottages.” And rightly so. In that era, this small coastal city served as an over-the-top summer playground for some of the nation’s wealthiest citizens. Each season, a proper Newport hostess — to maintain her social standing — would have to hold six dinner parties with 60 guests each, and two balls with an invitation list of 600 each.