A glittering swirl of corsets, carriages and savage ambition, The Gilded Age is HBO’s answer to Downton Abbey. Written by Julian Fellowes, the period drama dives headlong into the opulence and tension of 1880s New York, where fortunes were forged in steel and scandal, and social climbing was a full-time sport.
But how closely does the show reflect the real era? And did British nobles genuinely sail west in search of wealthy American brides?
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What is The Gilded Age all about?
The HBO series The Gilded Age follows the story of Marian Brook, a young woman entering the social scene in 1882 New York. The show touches on the battle between “old money” and “new money” families, a clash that defined American high society during the Gilded Age, when industrialisation created new wealth – rather than wealth being purely inherited by established families.
What was the Gilded Age and when was it?
The Gilded Age was a period of history in the United States, spanning the 1870s to the late 1890s – between the Reconstruction Era and the Progressive Era. It was an era defined by massive economic growth and success, underpinned by political corruption.
American wages increased significantly with the rise of industrialisation, but the economic successes weren’t felt by all, with many areas – particularly in the South – experiencing poverty after the American Civil War and collapse of its industries. The growing inequality was marked by the high concentration of wealth in the hands of the elite. Immigration also reached new heights during this era, with many Europeans arriving in the West to build the farming, ranching and mining industries.
The era was named in the 20th century after Mark Twain’s 1873 novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.
How historically accurate is The Gilded Age?
While the characters in HBO’s The Gilded Age are fictional, their experiences accurately mirror the reality of late 19th-century life in wealthy circles. New York City was a cultural melting pot and a perfect signifier of the economic inequality at play during this era.
However, many of the characters in the show are based on real people. The plot is centred around the nouveau-riche-vs-old-money feud between Mrs Bertha Russell (played by Carrie Coon), inspired by Alva Vanderbilt, and Mrs Caroline Schermerhorn Astor (played by Donna Murphy), a figurehead of the city’s elite during this time.
“Real-life historical figures are a hugely important part of our Gilded world. These characters not only serve to give a fuller sense of what it might have been like to live during this time, but also help to highlight some of the debates that real people were having,” David Crockett, the show’s Executive Producer, told Vogue.
Did British aristocrats really go to America to find wives?
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a spate of wealthy American women marrying into titled European families – exchanging wealth for prestige and social standing. These women were known as “dollar princesses” or “dollar duchesses”, and they were often the daughters of self-made (and newly wealthy) industrialists.
These heiresses married into the British aristocracy, bringing with them vast wealth – which was a vital life force for the aristocratic families of Britain, following the agricultural depression of the late 19th century and rise in inheritance taxes, with the introduction of Estate Duty in 1894.
A 1915 book, Titled Americans, suggested that there were 454 marriages between American women and European aristocrats between the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.
The parents of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were one such couple: his mother Jeannette “Jennie” Jerome married Lord Randolph Churchill, son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough. Jerome’s father was Leonard Jerome, an American financier in New York.
While HBO’s The Gilded Age touches on the concept of the “dollar princesses”, Apple TV’s series The Buccaneers deals with it more explicitly. The show follows a group of American girls who arrive in London in the 1870s, sent to secure husbands and status. Its story is based on the final novel of Edith Wharton.
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Top image credit: HBO
