Top 10 Historical Figures Who Inspired The Gilded Age

Brash as she was, Mamie Fish would have been an incredible social contact for a new money family like the Russells. As a member of one of New York’s oldest families, Mamie stood second in society only to the vaunted Mrs. Astor. However, she was arguably the more celebrated hostess of the two, famed for her cutting wit and her legendary dinner parties. The Show maintains all these aspects of her, but generally keeps things much tamer than they really were. Mamie’s evenings were known to include wild themes, vaudeville performances, and rented elephants. Honestly, her eccentric on-screen doll’s tea party looks unremarkable by comparison. But she did once host an elaborate birthday for her dog, complete with a $15,000 diamond collar for her furry friend.

Rising from murky beginnings, Arabella scandalized high society from sea to shining sea when she married her lover, rail industrialist Collis Huntington, shortly after the death of his first wife. Even more so as rumors swirled around the parentage of their child. The major beats of Arabella’s story are translated into the character of Sylvia Chamberlaine, “The Gilded Age”’s resident social pariah. Like her real life counterpart, Mrs. Chamberlain’s fabulous wealth isn’t enough to overcome her prurient past as far as the gatekeepers of New York Society are concerned. Barred from those echelons, Sylvia takes another note from Arabella, using her flawless taste to amass an incredible art collection. Indeed, in her lifetime Arabella Huntington was considered to have one of the best in the entire world.

One character we’re definitely hoping to see more of in “The Gilded Age” is Peggy’s editor at The New York Globe. Born into slavery in Florida in 1856, Timothy Thomas Fortune attended Howard University before moving to New York in 1879. There he briefly worked as a printer before founding the Globe. Fortune would go on to be one of the most important African American voices of the late 19th century, known for his political activism, which he amplified through his journalistic endeavors. The show is set early in Fortune’s career, and while it hints at the future direction of his work, he’s only a minor player in the first season. But as a founder of the civil rights movement, Fortune’s character provides compelling possibilities going forward.

The Russells are ahead of the curve when they hire Stanford White to design their home. However, in real life, the famed architect’s career would be somewhat overshadowed by his infamous personal life. At the age of 48 he assaulted Evelyn Nesbit, a young model and actress under his professional care, and began a relationship with her. Later on, Evelyn would marry the millionaire Harry Kendall Thaw. Thaw already struggled with his mental health, and the knowledge of his wife’s past ate him up with jealousy, until one night in a rage he tracked down and murdered White. The resulting court case would be dubbed “The Trial of the Century,” and spilled details about White’s personal affairs that would shock in any era.

Gladys Russell spends the first season of “The Gilded Age” feeling suffocated while her controlling mother holds off her social debut as a piece of her social climbing strategy. And unfortunately, things don’t look like they’ll improve. For a hint of where Gladys’ story is heading, one need only look to Consuelo Vanderbilt. Consuelo, like Gladys, was totally dominated by her imposing mother, Alva. In a bid to enshrine the “new money” Vanderbilts among New York’s elite, Alva eventually pushed Consuelo into marriage with Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough. It was…not a happy union; we hope Gladys fares better. Though Alva allegedly threatened to murder Consuelo’s preferred suitor, so the ultimatum given to “The Gilded Age”’s Archie Baldwin is already an improvement.

Like the notorious robber baron on whom he based, George Russell is a rail tycoon who built his fortune out of nothing. And also like Gould, George has two distinct personas: At home he is a loving family man. But those that cross him quickly learn that he can turn downright vicious. Of course their ruthless business practices aren’t reserved for retribution. Jay Gould was known to engage in shady financial maneuvering. This comes up more than once in George’s plot lines, as he displays a gambler’s spirit, and a very Gould-ian disregard for the stricter points of the law. As an interesting coincidence, Harry Richardson, who plays Larry Russell, bears something of a resemblance to young Jay Gould.

Ward McAllister’s position as the great arbiter of New York society was a bit of an anomaly. A Southerner with distant family ties to the Astors, he came from comfort but not enormous wealth. But through charm, showmanship, and social savvy he engineered his way to the right hand of Caroline Astor, the Grand Dame of Gilded Age New York. From this vantage point he shaped what society looked like, from curating his elite list of 400 fashionable New Yorkers (incidentally the rumored capacity of Caroline Astor’s ballroom), to popularizing Newport, Rhode Island as the summer getaway. The publication of his overly candid 1890 memoir “Society as I Have Found It” would irreparably damage his standing. But in the 1882 world of show there is still no ally more powerful.

The talented and ambitious writer, Peggy Scott is one of “The Gilded Age”’s original characters, but she wasn’t invented out of thin air. Indeed, the show’s creatives were inspired by figures like Julia C. Collins and Susan McKinney Steward among others. And it’s impossible to ignore the similarities between Peggy and the journalist and activist Ida B. Wells. Not only would they be close in age, and occupation, but the future NAACP co-founder also worked with T. Thomas Fortune at his paper The New York Age. Wells fought tirelessly throughout her career to expose inequality and racial violence, enduring plenty of blowback along the way. Fierce, fearless, and unapologetic, she was a true trailblazer, and we could see a very similar arc for Peggy.

This Southern Belle’s origins might not have been as humble as Bertha Russell’s are implied to be, but having married into one of New York’s upstart New Money families Alva Vanderbilt likewise received high society’s cold shoulder. And like Bertha in “The Gilded Age” Alva was a force of nature who wasn’t about to go quietly. She set about chiseling her way in, commissioning a palatial new home on 5th Avenue which she aptly called The Petite Chateau, and leveraging her housewarming ball to force Mrs. Astor to acknowledge her socially. The TV show recreates the whole incident pretty faithfully. Alva would keep upsetting norms and breaking barriers in the years to come. We can only imagine what that means for Bertha’s ambitions.

Of all the real life figures who appear on “The Gilded Age” none loom larger than the storied Mrs. Astor. It’s a stature that needs no exaggeration. The scion of one of New York’s oldest families who married into one of its wealthiest, Lina Astor was the undisputed Queen of New York Aristocracy, and her approval was the most highly coveted token of success for New Money looking to break in. It did happen occasionally. And begrudgingly. As we see on TV, Lina realized she could only maintain control through strategic bending of her own rules. Fun Fact: One of her power moves was to receive visitors under a giant portrait of herself. So when Bertha does the same to her it’s more of flex than some may realize.