By Anne de Courcy
During American's Gilded Age, a large number of American heiresses traded their family's wealth for the title afforded by marriage to a British aristocrat. Many of the brides' families were nouveau-riche and sought a title as a door into American society, while most (but not all) of the lords, baronets and dukes who married them were penniless and seeking the funds to live in comfort. The first of these "dollar princesses" was Jennie Jerome, who married Lord Randolph Churchill in 1874, and most notably age birth to Winston Churchill, arguably the 20th century's most crucial player. Consuelo Vanderbilt brought her father's considerable wealth to restore Blenheim Palce, where she lived with her husband the Duke of Marlborough, a cousin of Churchill. Many of these unions were loveless, based as they were on personal gain, but some marriages were happy and successful. By WWW1, most of the fortunes were starting to wane, as was the frivolous style of the American Gilded Age.
This book was loaded with information, much of it centered around Newport. While I found a few errors (e.g., Gertrude Vanderbilt married Harry Payne Whitney, not Jay Burden), I also found new, helpful information about Gilded Age Newport.
During American's Gilded Age, a large number of American heiresses traded their family's wealth for the title afforded by marriage to a British aristocrat. Many of the brides' families were nouveau-riche and sought a title as a door into American society, while most (but not all) of the lords, baronets and dukes who married them were penniless and seeking the funds to live in comfort. The first of these "dollar princesses" was Jennie Jerome, who married Lord Randolph Churchill in 1874, and most notably age birth to Winston Churchill, arguably the 20th century's most crucial player. Consuelo Vanderbilt brought her father's considerable wealth to restore Blenheim Palce, where she lived with her husband the Duke of Marlborough, a cousin of Churchill. Many of these unions were loveless, based as they were on personal gain, but some marriages were happy and successful. By WWW1, most of the fortunes were starting to wane, as was the frivolous style of the American Gilded Age.
This book was loaded with information, much of it centered around Newport. While I found a few errors (e.g., Gertrude Vanderbilt married Harry Payne Whitney, not Jay Burden), I also found new, helpful information about Gilded Age Newport.
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