If you've been watching the new period drama called The Gilded Age showing on
HBO & Sky Atlantic then you might be wondering if the characters were real people of history
and the answer is yes, and no.
While most of The Gilded Age‘s main characters are fictional creations of producer and writer,
Julian Fellowes, there are a few real historic figures that we can single out.
Julian Fellows also wrote the enormously popular Downton Abbey
and it looks like HBO's may turn out to be just as popular.
This time, the plot is set in New York and concentrates upon the established upper class's
social positions, with many feuding amongst themselves while vying for position and power.
And although the characters in The Gilded Age are fictional,
writer Julian Fellowes was actually inspired by real people.
In this video, I introduce two very real fabulous,
fierce and feisty women of 19th Century New York Society.
One of whom is a real historical figure and the other who is characterized in the TV Series.
What Was The Gilded Age?
The Gilded Age was a period of prosperity following the American Civil War,
during which many people prospered financially as a result of the industrial boom.
Many people were upset by this because it became a tale about New Money rising to the top
and Old Money resenting their intrusion into established New York society.
In fact, Donna Murphy's character, the Mrs. Astor (and her group) and Carrie
Coon's character, Bertha Russell's fundamental antagonism in the HBO drama sounds eerily
similar to that of the real Caroline Schermerhorn Astor and Alva Vanderbilt.
So, who were these women of the 19th century New York society?
Let's start with Caroline Schermerhorn Astor.
Caroline Webster Schermerhorn was a prominent American socialite
of the second half of the 19th century who led what was known as the Four Hundred.
The Four Hundred was proclaimed as the number of people in New York who really mattered. It was said to be a
definitive list of those individuals that made up so-called "acceptable society," They were defined as the people who felt at ease in
the ballrooms of high society and who were worthy of being considered fashionable.
Famous for being referred to later in life as THE Mrs. Astor or simply "Mrs. Astor," she was was
born on September 22, 1830 into a wealthy family who were part of New York City's Dutch aristocracy.
On September 23, 1853, she married William Backhouse Astor Jr.,businessman,
racehorse breeder and owner, and yachtsman. Through her marriage,
she was a prominent member of the Astor family and matriarch of the male line of American Astors.
Although popularly imagined as wholly preoccupied with society for the first several decades of her
married life, Mrs. Astor was principally occupied with raising her five children
and running her household, as was typical of women of her class in mid-19th-century New York City.
Due to an inheritance from her parents, Caroline had her own money,
thus she was far less dependent on her husband than most American women of the time.
In 1862, she and her husband built a four-bay townhouse in the newly fashionable brownstone
style at 350 Fifth Avenue, the present site of the Empire State Building.
And it was from here that she reigned as the gatekeeper to the old New York Establishment.
In the decades following the Civil War, the population of New York City grew
exponentially including many wealthy, ambitious self-seeking individuals
from the Midwest who began challenging the dominance of the old New York Establishment.
In an attempt to keep the old guard in charge,
Mrs. Asto attempted to set a code of standards for proper behavior and etiquette,
as well as determine who was acceptable in her view of proper society.
She was the foremost authority on the "Aristocracy" of New York
in the late nineteenth century. She held ornate and elaborate parties for herself
and other members of the elite New York socialite crowd. No one was
permitted to attend these gatherings without an official calling card from Mrs Astor herself.
Mrs. Astor's social groups were dominated by strong-willed "aristocratic" females. These social
gatherings were dependent on overly conspicuous luxury and publicity. More so than the gatherings
themselves, importance was highly placed upon the group as the upper-crust of New York's elite.
Enter the Vanderbilt's.
While Mrs. Caroline Astor and her group of iron-willed women represented the "Aristocratic",
or Old Money, the newly wealthy Vanderbilt family
sought to establish a new wave of social status with what was known as, New Money.
And here we can introduce, Alva Erskine Smith Vanderbilt Belmont.
First married to a Vanderbilt and then to another millionaire by the name of Belmont,
Alva was born January 17, 1853 in Mobile, Alabama to a wealthy southern family.
At a young age, she became aware that girls and women were looked down upon by boys and men.
Alva would respond to any boy teasing her for being a girl by beating up the boy in question.
Alva's family had lost their riches after the American Civil War and were living in
New York City. To reclaim her standing, Alva understood she needed to marry a wealthy man.
William K. Vanderbilt, a railroad millionaire, was that person. Willie,
as Alva dubbed him, was lovely in Alva's eyes. He was attractive, powerful, and,
most importantly, wealthy. In 1875, they married and had three children.
Despite marrying a Vanderbilt, Alva thought she and her husband were being overlooked by
society in New York City. The battle between Old Money and New Money erupted as a result.
In 1878, Alva and William began construction on an opulent French château style mansion designed
by Richard Morris Hunt. It was located at 660 Fifth Avenue, in the heart of Old Money society.
It would be finished three years later in 1882.
It was a building that literally overshadowed the dour,
albeit luxurious, town homes that lined the avenue
and Alva wanted everyone to know that she intended to flaunt her husband's wealth for all to see.
How a costume ball changed New York elite society
As grand as the mansion at 660 Fifth Avenue was,
Alva planned a ball to serve as her housewarming party. And it was meant to be even grander.
On March 26, 1883, Alva threw one of the most magnificient parties that New York had ever seen.
With her access to seemingly endless amounts of money,
she used every available resource, including the power
of the press to build excitement and to make it bigger than any ball before it.
She cunningly invited journalists to come in and preview the decorations in the ballroom
before the ball began. Truth be told, Alva was determined to use what was possibly the simplest
weapon in her arsenal to gain admission to the New York 400: good old fashioned manipulation.
Alva also had another hand to play.
The story goes that, like all marriageable young girls Mrs. Astor’s daughter Carrie,
was anxiously awaiting her invitation and even began practicing for a quadrille with her friends.
Then the unthinkable happened. All of her friends got their invitations but none came
for Carrie Astor. Carried immediately got on her mother's case to rectify the situation.
And wouldn't you know. Due to complex social customs, Alva claimed she could not
invite the daughter of Mrs Astor since Mrs Astor had never called on the Vanderbilt home.
Mrs. Astor really had no choice but to drop her visiting card at 660 5th Avenue, thus formally
acknowledging the Vanderbilts. The Astors’ invitation to the ball was received the next day.
The ball was lavishly attended with nearly 1,200 outrageously costumed members of the
highest ranks of society. The ball went on for hours and the extent to which the elite
went to each have the most outlandish and outstanding costume was the talk of the town.
Dinner was served at 2 A.M. in the morning by the chefs of Delmonico’s working with the Vanderbilt’s
small army of servant s and then dancing continued till the sun rose.
The event was estimated to cost $250,000 - almost $6 million in today's money
and included $65,000 for champagne and $11,000 for flowers.
It was conspicuous consumption at its finest and it worked. Newspapers across the country
reported every detail and extolled Alva’s tastes and classiness. By March 27, 1883 the Vanderbilts
were at the top of a new New York society that was no longer limited to 400 people.
Alva Vanderbilt had surpassed anything that Mrs. Astor had done
but the feud managed to continue even until it came to pass that the two families joined together
to build the Metropolitan Opera house which opened on October 22, 1883, with a performance of Faust.
Finally, Alva had what she had always dreamed of. Acceptance.
Reluctantly, Mrs. Astor admitted defeat
and acknowledged acceptance of the new money that the Vanderbilts
and the other wealthy interlopers brought to New York in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
The old guard relented and where Mrs. Astor goes, society follows. The exploits of the two women
had done the impossible, bringing the families of new and old money together,
under one Gilded Age roof, forging the beginning of modern New York society.