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The Gilded Age
"She was not made for mean and shabby surroundings.... an atmosphere of luxury... was the background she required, the only climate she could breathe in."
-- Edith Wharton's Lily Bart, from The House of Mirth, 1905
The adventurers of the Gilded Age made vast fortunes in railroads, oil, steel, and mining, often through monopolies and ruthless labor practices. But the Age of Capital also fueled a search for a "higher life" of the spirit expressed through art, music, and refined manners. Wives of magnates presided over elegant homes in which strict codes of conduct governed every domestic ritual. Matrons "received" at approved hours, suppers of seventeen courses involved squadrons of servants, and guests knew the proper fork for oysters. |