Women in the Gilded Age: Two Authors' Insights
When:
Thursday, Jul 07, 2022 1:00p -
2:00p
Thursday, Jul 07, 2022 1:00p -
2:00p
Where:
Online event
Admission:
FREE
Hosted by:
Categories:
History
Event website:
https://www.americanancestors.org/events/women-gilded-age-two-authors-insights
Presented in partnership with Ephemeral New York and GBH Forum Network
Laura Thompson with Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies
Betsy Prioleau with Diamonds and Deadlines: A Tale of Greed, Deceit, and a Female Tycoon in the Gilded Age
Moderated by Esther Crain, author of The Gilded Age in New York 1860-1910
Even in an era of extravagance – wealth, glamour, and greed – some women stand out by virtue of their family, their treasure, or their talent. Hear the stories of such women during the Gilded Age, including Consuelo Vanderbilt, the darling of that time, and the powerful Mrs. Frank Leslie, “empress of journalism,” who left scandals and fortune in her wake.
Join us for a presentation by two authors whose celebrated works reveal the lives of women in the Gilded Age. In that heady time, a cadre of women were both revered and reviled for the power – for their wealth and their beauty, and, in the case of Mrs. Frank Leslie, her brilliance and bravado as the head of a lucrative publishing empire. It was the era in which many wealthy Americans were married off to foreign aristocrats: the beautiful heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt joined in a loveless marriage to become the savior and head of Blenheim Palace, outside London. Mrs. Leslie was as impactful in her time as the Rockefellers and Carnegies, yet her story of success and scandal has been forgotten until now. Don’t miss hearing from authors Laura Thompson and Betsy Prioleau about the women who glittered most brightly in Gilded Age, their experiences as daughters, wives, trend-setters, and entrepreneurs.
