The Big Picture
- The Gilded Age strives for accuracy in its portrayal of New York's high society of the 1880s, with stories and characters inspired by history, going so far as to include real historical figures, such as Mrs. Astor and Ward McCallister.
- The show blurs the lines between fact and fiction, as original characters interact with historical figures, but, in each case, The Gilded Age proves its commitment to realism by not rewriting the past.
- The many minor characters borrowed from history demonstrate attention to detail, like Mamie Fish and Christina Nilsson, who make brief but well-researched appearances.
Julian Fellowes' newest series, The Gilded Age, explores the ins and outs of high society in New York during the 1880s. The historical drama features a clash between old families and new money that truly existed at that time, even centering their conflicts around actual events, like the building of the Metropolitan Opera House. One of the leading families, the Russells, represents many people who made their fortune in that era. Though the Russells are entirely fictional, there is a clear comparison between them and the Vanderbilt family, who became wealthy in the same time frame. Both families made their money in railroads and shared similar experiences breaking into New York society, although the show has mentioned the real family before, proving they are not quite the same. The Vanderbilts inspired the Russells, yet the fictional nature of the Russells allows The Gilded Age freedom to take their own path when the story calls for it. Yet this is not because of laziness on the part of the creators, as the show doesn't shy away from direct recreations of real people from the era.
The Gilded Age may be fiction, but it is dedicated to accuracy, from the larger societal conflicts to the more subtle historical figures included in the show. Certainly, there is some creative license, but people, including Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy), Ward McCallister (Nathan Lane), T. Thomas Fortune (Sullivan Jones), Mamie Fish (Ashlie Atkinson), Clara Barton (Linda Emond), Stanford White (John Sanders), Emily Warren Roebling (Liz Wisan), and Christina Nilsson (Sarah Joy Miller) were real. As several of these characters continue to grow in importance in the show, their relation to their real-life counterparts is more intriguing. Though some of these are relatively minor characters in the show, each proves the great lengths The Gilded Age goes for accuracy.
In The Gilded Age, Mrs. Caroline Astor is the elite's unofficial leader. Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) sets her sights on gaining Mrs. Astor's approval to join the society set fully. Mrs. Astor resists the other woman's ambition, but she is forced to give in to secure her daughter Carrie's (Amy Forsyth) invitation to the Russell's ball. But the conflict over the opera puts the two women back on opposite sides. In reality, Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor was much the same. Determined to keep the old families in control, she assumed power over New York society in this time period. Mrs. Astor strong-armed her way into being the head of the family and used her power to hold elite society together in the face of upheaval, but her cause was inevitably doomed.
Keeping the new rich at arm's length, Mrs. Astor set the tone for the rest of the elite. Known for her lavish balls and exclusive dinner parties, she fought to keep high society from changing. But, like in the show, she faced obstacles, most notably Alva Vanderbilt's determination to join the upper class. Alva, who shares many similarities with Bertha Russell, actually clashed with Mrs. Astor. The Gilded Age's adaptation of Mrs. Astor remains close to the real-life figure, with the significant change being that her opponent is Bertha Russell rather than Alva Vanderbilt.
Mrs. Astor's faithful companion, Ward McCallister, is ripped from history alongside her. In the show, he represents a path into society for Bertha as she first must gain his approval to move up the line to Mrs. Astor. The Southern man is an ally to Bertha but remains steadfastly loyal to Mrs. Astor. The real Ward McCallister is perhaps best known for originating the phrase "the four hundred" when referring to New York's elite. As he was working on a guest list for one of Mrs. Astor's parties, he claimed that there were roughly four hundred people in society, yet this happened after the events of the show.
In the 1880s, he was spending most of his time in Newport and was close to Mrs. Astor, as The Gilded Age portrays. The former lawyer also established "the Patriarchs," a group of family heads with the power to accept people aspiring to join New York's elite. With this position, he perhaps didn't defer to Mrs. Astor as much as he does in the show, yet it is helpful for The Gilded Age to have a single person in Bertha's way. Overall, Ward McCallister, in reality, is much like his fictional counterpart, showing the level of research The Gilded Age's creators invested in the series.
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