These throwback photos of the Southern Charm matriarch are FOMO inducing.
Patricia Altschul is the definition of the word "goals." The Southern Charm matriarch lives in a fabulous Charleston estate, has a loving son, Whitney Sudler-Smith, and has a serious sense of style. And, we're unearthing even more about a young Patricia, who was always, shall we say, fabulous.
Patricia started appearing on Southern Charm when Season 1 first started airing in 2014. In 2019, Patricia told The Daily Dish that she "never" expected to become a mainstay on the show when Whitney first asked her to make an appearance all those years ago. "I came to Charleston to sit on my chaise and eat bonbons and read trashy novels...and now he's got me working," Patricia said of Whitney.
But before Whitney, Patricia's only child, got her to appear on the show, she was an art history professor at George Washington University, socialite and art dealer (according to a 2019 profile from The New York Times), and, of course, a fashionista. The throwback photos are just a peek at a young Patricia's fashionable past.
Patricia Altschul's childhood in Virginia
As Patricia explained to The Daily Dish in 2016, she had a very ideal childhood, as she was born to a retired surgeon and diplomat father, and a stay-at-home mother. "I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and had a charmed childhood not unlike Leave it to Beaver or Happy Days," she said. "I loved to ride my bicycle, play tennis, swim, and go horseback riding."
Old photos of Patricia Altschul as a young mother to Whitney Sudler-Smith
She married her first husband, Lon Smith, who is also Whitney's father when she was 20 years old, according to The New York Times. At the time, she was still a college student at George Washington University, where she graduated Cum Laude before going on to earn a double Master's Degree.
But, she "waited until I solidified my career to have Whitney," she explained to The Daily Dish in 2016.
"Whitney was an adorable baby and child," she noted. "He was happy, gregarious, had lots of friends, loved adventure, played with his G.I. Joe's and big wheel."
Throwback photos of Patricia Altschul and son, Whitney-Sudler Smith
Whitney inherited Patricia's love for art. "He was always creative," she said. "He loved to paint, write, was an avid reader, learned to play the guitar himself, but also enjoyed sports such as baseball and football."
Throwback photos of Patricia Altschul at the Met Gala
Although she might hang with the Southern Charm-er these days, she's had many famous and fabulous friends over the years. Patricia was close with the late fashion journalist, André Leon Talley, who she attended the Met Gala with in 2005, wearing a Chanel couture ballgown.
"Back when I attended, it was a very different event, the participants consisted mainly of art lovers, museum directors, art historians, curators, art collectors, and generally all those who attended did so because of their art," she wrote in an Instagram post from May 2024.
In 2016, Patricia took to Instagram where she revealed that she once attended the Met Gala and snapped a photo with the late fashion designer, Oscar de la Renta. That same year, she told The Daily Dish that she was blessed to have so many good friends over the years.
"I have been very lucky in my life that I have met many interesting and accomplished people," she said, playing coy with some of the more famous names.
