Former first lady Laura Bush visited Luisa Hunnewell’s private estate in Wellesley Tuesday to celebrate writer Edith Wharton’s 150th birthday. Among the 100 or so guests were former Museum of Fine Arts department director Anne Poulet, Paul Holtz of the Massachusetts Historical Commission, local historian and author Pauline Metcalf, and Cartier Boston director Cedric Tonello. As guests sipped chilled white wine and sparkling water with lemon, waiters passed lobster finger sandwiches, sesame duck tacos, and lamb lollipops topped with mint pesto. A big fan of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Bush is the honorary chair of the National Committee for Edith Wharton’s 150th Birthday, and Tuesday’s event was organized by The Mount, Wharton’s historic home in Lenox. The former first lady wore a collared, three-quarter-sleeved lavender dress with a woven brown belt, and gold slingback wedges. In her address at the party, Bush said she enjoyed Wharton’s “Ethan Frome,” and loved envisioning the snowy grounds of New England from the hot deserts of Texas where she grew up. Earlier in the day, the former first lady took a tour of the JFK Presidential Library and Museum with library director Tom Putnam. Because Bush is chairing the design committee for the Bush Presidential Center, currently under construction on the campus of Southern Methodist University, she’s doing some research. She wanted to know what attracts visitors to the Kennedy Library, and to learn more about the library’s digital archives. Before leaving, Bush stopped in the gift shop and perused a book about presidential pets. Wouldn’t you know, she opened to a photo of the Bush family dog, Spot.