A Season of Splendor: The Court of Mrs. Astor in Gilded Age New York

by Greg King

Journey through the splendor and the excesses of the Gilded Age

"Every aspect of life in the Gilded Age took on deeper, transcendent meaning intended to prove the greatness of America: residences beautified their surroundings; works of art uplifted and were shared with the public; clothing exhibited evidence of breeding; jewelry testified to cultured taste and wealth; dinners demonstrated sophisticated palates; and balls rivaled those of European courts in their refinement. The message was unmistakable: the United States had arrived culturally, and Caroline Astor and her circle were intent on leading the nation to unimagined heights of glory."
—From A Season of Splendor

Take a dazzling journey through the Gilded Age, the period from roughly the 1870s to 1914, when bluebloods from older, established families met the nouveau riche headlong—railway barons, steel magnates, and Wall Street speculators—and forged an uneasy and glittering new society in New York City. The best of the best were Caroline Astor's 400 families, and she shaped and ruled this high society with steel.

A Season of Splendor is a panoramic sweep across this sumptuous landscape, presenting the families, the wealth, the balls, the clothing, and the mansions in vivid detail—as well as the shocking end of the era with the sinking of the Titanic.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, American History, Historical, New York, Americana

528 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

About the author

Greg King (born 1964) is an American author, best known for his biographies of prominent historical figures.

He is the author of eleven internationally published works of royal and social history, specializing in late Imperial Russia and Edwardian-era royalty, including The Fate of the Romanovs, The Court of the Last Tsar, and the UK bestseller The Duchess of Windsor. A frequent onscreen expert and commentator for historical documentaries, his work has appeared in Majesty Magazine, Royalty Magazine, Royalty Digest, and Atlantis Magazine.

Source: wikipedia.com & us.macmillan.com

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, this was an interesting and enjoyable history of Caroline Astor's reign over The 400 of New York during the Gilded Age.

Included are chapters that touch on social customs, jewelry, clothes, entertaining, and the architectural design and interiors of the many mansions along 5th Ave., as well as the Newport, RI, The Berkshires in Western Mass homes belonging to the Vanderbilts, Mamie Fish, and Caroline Astor.

The bits of gossip, the scandals, and the increasingly vulgar public displays of wealth along with the death of Mrs. Astor bring the book to a satisfying but sad ending.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I admit it, I’ve always been fascinated by the Gilded Age, a time when unfathomable fortunes were made and spent, a time before federal or state income tax and a hundred years before the great synthetic equalizer: major credit cards. I wanted to know about the one and two year honeymoon trips to Europe while their mansions were being built – how they traveled, what they saw. I wanted to gain insight into how Caroline Astor was able to gain, wield and retain so much power. I wanted to learn more about the “dollar princesses” and why wealthy Americans were willing to trade their daughters for threadbare royal titles. None of that appears here. Instead King has cobbled together a 455 page book seemingly from census reports, household ledgers and back issues of Architectural Digest. His footnotes are nonsensical and the only substance in the book come from his endless descriptions of ornately carved walnut panels and marble pillars. Honestly, if you want to learn a little something about the Gilded Age watch James Cameron’s bloated film, Titanic. Better yet, read something by either Edith Wharton or Henry James.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a split personality. On the one hand, it has lots of gossipy stuff about Gilded Age society and interesting explanations of how that society functioned. On the other hand, there are a lot of chapters in the middle that comprise a death march through seemingly every conceivable architectural and design detail of a series of houses from the era. I'm still not sure how or why I kept slogging through them, but if I never read about another pilaster or boiserie again, it will be too soon. But for those chapters, though, it was interesting, if not beautifully-written, stuff.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fascinated by this book - truly enjoyed reading about the lives of the super wealthy in the age of tacky show offs. I feel sorry for anyone born into that place in society as an introvert. The endless inane forced socialization must have drove them absolutely bonkers.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The years when the Astors, Vanderbilts, and other mega-wealthy and self-absorbed swells in New York dominated society are brought to life in this book. Caroline Astor, the self appointed Grande Dame, determined who would receive the much sought after invitations to the over-the-top social functions as the group wandered between NYC, Newport, Europe, Florida, and wherever else their dancing pumps wanted to go. My interest in this era was piqued when I visited Newport and attended a private dinner in The Gold Room in Marble House, originally owned by William K. and Alva Vanderbilt. I couldn't imagine people actually living amid all the splendor (for no more than 10 weeks in the summer). I also couldn't imagine changing my clothes 7 or 8 times a day - were there actually outfits that were only suitable for letter writing? Two things I remember from visiting there: our guide telling us 1) that if you could want it, you could have it, and 2) they were only happy until the next bigger and grander house was completed.

In my opinion, too much of the book was given to the descriptions of the exteriors and interiors of the homes. Facades, dining rooms, ballrooms, paintings, tapestries, furniture, etc. were detailed for each home. I hope I don't have to read such words as Italianate, ormolu. boiseries, and rocailles in the near future.

Excuse me, I feel the need to run out and buy myself a tiara, diamond and pearl choker, and jeweled stomacher (you look it up).

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

There isn't a whole lot to this book: catalogue after catalogue of fortunes, fancy-dress balls and feasts. Greg King's spare and effective prose kept me reading, though. He adds the right amount of human interest without becoming gossipy, the right amount of historical fact without becoming dry and dusty.

This isn't a sweeping overview of the Gilded Age, nor a learned analysis of the social or economic factors that led to it. But read in conjunction with such books, it provides a concrete measurement of the wealth that defined the era: it makes you realize just how opulent and decadent the time was. There's also a healthy dose of "lifestyles of the rich and famous" here, if you like that sort of thing, plenty of mansions and art collecting and multi-million dollar shopping sprees. I found it a bit tedious, to say nothing of the crass materialism, but I can understand the appeal of that.

With its smooth and effective narration, you could do worse than this book if its narrow focus is what you're looking for.

[katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting subject but blech, the writing! When I'm counting the number of times you use the same adjective on one page, you need to find a better editor.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite thoroughly researched, well organized and while slow in places, lots of house and clothing descriptions, moves along at a good pace.

[Emma Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely riveting, four hundred stars! This is a very detailed account of how the wealthy lived between 1870 and roughly 1914 (but really 1910). This tells you all about the rules of a few people with unchecked and unlimited money whose common goal was to create what was essentially an American aristocracy - building extravagant houses, spending lavishly on trips, jewellery, clothing, hosting balls and thinking of new entertainment, marrying titles and collecting what they perceived had value.

Its scope goes way beyond Caroline Astor herself and there’s in fact very little about her in this. I found it so well-written and fascinating as it follows every aspect of the lives of the Astors, Vanderbilts, Goulds, Morgans and more and the last few chapters are excellent at explaining how this lifestyle was brought to an end in three different ways but also the legacy it left behind.

This is the sort of book that makes you want to read a lot more on various topics and people and I’ve made a whole list of things to look into. Excellent stuff.

[Lacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts out strong, talking a bit about the history of Knickbocker society in New York and how that moved into the Gilded Age society created and upheld primarily by Caroline Astor. If the artificial society of the Gilded Age sounds familiar to you, don't worry, you're not wrong. We are really living in a second Gilded Age. However, maybe the author lost some steam along the way, because instead of continuing to critically discuss the evolution of society, how Caroline Astor came to solidify her control and create this artificial world made up of the "old money" Knickerbocker society and the "new money" like the Vanderbilts, how she delicately balanced these two groups, how she believed she was building an American aristocracy, the author instead turns to giving descriptive rundowns of clothing, jewelry, architectural and interior designs, dinner parties, and balls. It is very interesting if you appreciate these types of descriptions. But I think this book would have been a lot better if this information had been used to critically analyze the Gilded Age.

I also take personal offense to the way the author includes Arabella Huntington in this book (I know I am extremely biased, and this is a very particular bone to pick). Just about every socialite lady mentioned in this book, no matter how flamboyant and ridiculously over the top, has some good points mentioned as well as all the bad. However, whenever Arabella is mentioned (3 times in this book), it is ALWAYS to punch down at her. I don't understand why the author even included her in this book.

I read this as an e-book, so I don't know if it was just the copy I read or if this was an issue in all versions of the book, but I found several typos and misprints, like calling William K. Vanderbilt's Long Island house Idle House instead of Idle Hour. There were several other instances of wrong information in the book, all of which is easily verifiable through an internet search. For example, the book states that Elizabeth Drexel Lehr's (she is quoted generously throughout the book) first husband, John Vinton Dahlgren, died less than a year after their marriage. They were actually married for 10 years and had two children before his death. Additionally, the book says Alice Vanderbilt (Corneilius II's wife) died in 1940, however, she died in 1934. Finally, the book says that after the Titanic sank, only Lifeboat 4, the one Madeleine Astor was in, went back to pick up passengers. In fact, Lifeboat 14 also went back to pick up people in the water. These are all verified by internet searches (and not just by Wikipedia), and while these errors seem small and insignificant, they do make me furrow my brow and wonder why, since this book was published in 2008 and the internet was available, these errors were made at all.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this is a history book. It is a darn good history book. Meticulous research and reporting on the " Splendors" of this age. It is not a novel, nor does it have much dialogue between or among anyone.
The author details the interior of tremendous homes and I wished for more pictures. One picture is worth a thousand words and in this case it would have been very true. Then, I realized that I could Google these places by name and voila PICTURES! Do this.
There were jaw dropping moments for me: things I had never heard before and I do think this book is a "gateway" book to others on this same subject or about ANY of these people at any time or place in their lives.
I struggle with how many stars to give this as if deserves all 5, but worry that if you are not looking for a book of this scope and think you will be entertained by a story, you will be disappointed
It's massive, detailed, and fascinating but not entertaining

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the Gilded Age and the people who were holding court during it. Caroline Astor, the Vanderbilts; the Belmonts are just some of the Gilded Age families. The Kardashians can't hold a candle to these people. The incredible amounts of money spent on anything and everything was boggling! King gives the amount of money in sums of the day and also what that would be in 2008 terms. Chapters on transportation, the houses, the jewelry, Newport society and homes all open a window to this time gone past.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book if you want to learn some salacious gossip about the great families of the Gilded Age. Although the book is titled "The Court of Mrs. Astor", it actually encompasses all of the who's who of that era. I especially loved the chapters on etiquette, balls, and servant life. It's truly remarkable the strict decorum with which these families lived their lives. Definitely a "must read" for anyone looking to learn a little bit more about Gilded Age New York.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this was a broad history of the elite of New York City during the Gilded Age. King takes the reader on a journey looking at the prominent families, their social lives including extravagant entertaining, their elaborate and grandiose homes and vacation houses, their society scandals, and general practices including wardrobe, jewelry, basic etiquette, and household routines. At heart, this time period was defined by the "struggle for primacy between tradition and social evolution, between old money and new, between families of respected lineage and social upstarts who dared challenge convention" (4). The books numerous descriptions of over-the-top parties, homes that cost millions of dollars and hundreds of men to build, and other extravagant details like the finely decorated yachts, and millions of dollars in jewels is truly awe inspiring and the sheer extent of the opulence of their lives is difficult to fully comprehend.

While focusing largely on the Astors and Vanderbilts, this book does a great job at presenting more of a survey look at many of the top names in society at the time and a general look at Gilded Age lifestyle rather than a comprehensive biography of any one family or individual. Some of my favorite aspects were of the marriages gone wrong, the descriptions of extravagant balls and parties, and the detailed descriptions of the mansions of the day. Although I have previously read biographies of the Astors and Vanderbilts and other families from the time period, I learned so much from this book thanks to the author's detailed inclusion of the way daily life ran and operated from that time. For instance, most of the great hostesses of the day all used the same woman to hand address their formal invitations and her distinctive handwriting would have been recognized by those receiving them (350). King is also meticulous in detailing just how extravagant the lifestyles were. For instance, many families summered in Newport, which cost a fortune: "It was not unusual for a family to spend $2,000 to $4,000 ($46,000 - $92,000 in 2008) per week during their stays, with the most magnificent balls occasionally running near $100,000 ($2.3 million in 2008) (333).

This was a well-researched and entertaining panoramic look at a time of splendor and excess that is hard to now imagine. It would be an excellent introduction to the time period and does a credible job of thoroughly exploring life of the wealthiest New Yorkers from the 1870s until roughly the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

[Ann Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, several great fortunes were made by names that continue to resonate with the American public today--- Morgan, Carnegie, Vanderbilt--- and by names that have faded from memory. In a new and democratic country, there was really no established aristocracy for these persons to join. They had to make their own. This book traces how the society they made developed and functioned between 1870 and 1914. Probably it is too much expect that a bunch of very rich people would rethink the meaning of an aristocratic society within a democracy of the type America aspired to be. The society they chose wound up being along the lines of the society that America's founders had rejected. The best parts of this book (and its strength) describe how that played out in America. The biggest problem with this book is the middle section where the author dwells on the houses built by Gilded Age society in New York City, on the Hudson and in Newport. There is too much description of the architectural detail of these edifices. I think careful editing of this part of the book would have made the point--- these people had the taste of Donald Trump--- just as well as a profusion of detail.

[Annab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after watching the HBO mini-series "The Gilded Age". I thought that all the snobbery, excessive spending, and personal indulgences of a bunch of self-centered and self-satisfying families in late 1800s and early 1900s depicted in this series could not be true -- but it was according to King! Back when a $1 was worth $8-9 today, the turn of the century had the true first billionaires! These families (Ascots and Vanderbilts specifically) lived on the far-right of the financial fringe of excess and greed. If took me a while to read this book because I had to look up a lot of words and historical references to understand what the author was describing. Overall, the book was a good read and very enlightening to this strange and wasteful era in American history. My only complaint is that I wish there was more pictures (either photos or illustrations) of all the architectural characteristics of the homes of the wealthy since the house was "the thing" of the Gilded Age.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. Particularly because of my interest in architecture and social history. The author seems to have a keen interest in architecture as well because of the numerous and colorful descriptions he provides of the many homes built during this period. I think the subtitle, "The Court of Mrs Astor......" is somewhat misleading. Although she and the Astor family are a key element of this book, it provides magnifcient detail about how the wealthy (including the Astors) actually lived in New York and the environs. Fortunately for me, the focus is not the Astors alone. The book describes everything from where the wealthy of the time bought their flowers to the menu at dinner parties. I loved the detail and the organization of this book. I would have appreciated an appendix containing family trees of the major families such as the Astors and Vanderbilts.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a bit of research on an amazing period of time in New York's (and America's) history and it absolutely does NOT disappoint! It contained all that I was looking for in terms of the minutiae and structure involved in that life. The single criticism that kept me from a 5-star rating was that, eventually, describing every last, over-the-top mansion to the nth degree became a bit tedious and I found myself jumping over the excess detail (although I applaud the author's depth of architectural research and knowledge!) I really need a book of photos to properly grasp the detail he conveyed. Absolutely recommend to people desiring more detail of the lives, rivalries, and excesses of the period.

[Christa Colangelo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The people and situations are very interesting, but the author seems to be just as pretentious and snobbish as his subjects. The book is filled with chapters on architectural and interior design that to the average layperson make no sense whatsoever. I began looking up the different terms, but it eventually became too much that I just skipped over large swaths of text. The author goes into great detail describing certain things that could be represented by a picture, which is fine, if they included an actual picture, but often includes pictures of things that based on the text are largely irrelevant or not interesting. The book starts off great, but the minutiae that it goes off into eventually grates on your nerves.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book out of curiosity for the life of the Astor family particularly during the Gilded Age. I knew nothing about them or where they made their fortune. It seems there is relatively little written about the history of the family out there. This biography gave me the background I was looking for. It wasn't a particularly compelling book. It was a pretty straight forward narrative of the legacy of John Jacob Aster, concentrating on the influence of his daughter in law, Caroline in establishing New York society during the late 1800's. It spent a lot of time describing the homes of the old money families as well as the noveau riche families in New York and Rhode Island. 3 stars.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

King's lengthy and wordy look at the Gilded Age suffers from many of the same traits as the period of American history of which he memorializes. It is too much. Too long, too wordy, too boring, etc.

King's writing style reminds me of a high school debate tournament where the goal is to collect as many quotes from primary sources as possible on note cards, and the to read them back as quickly as possible.

From sentence to sentence, King quotes his sources that alternate from praising a subject to criticising them. Many of the quotations are non-sequitur.

It is an interesting look at a bygone era of extreme wealth, hedonism, snobbery and indulgence. If only King's writing was as interesting as the real-life characters he profiles and the extravagant lives they led.

[jmilesc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. A LOT of detail (maybe a wee bit too much?) on the homes/mansions of the Gilded Age- but having visited Newport just after I began this book, I found it interesting. If architecture is your thing, you should enjoy this book.
While “Mrs. Astor” is in the title, it’s equally about ‘The Court of….” Detailed coverage / histories of other prominent Gilded Age personalities.
While I’d read about Caroline Astor before, I’d not been as impressed with how much of a governing influence, for the good, she was on the wealthy society- the last chapters of the book unpacked this in a way I’d not caught before.

[Barrett Dahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely great book and so full of detail about the gilded age, its social heirarchy, architecture, and how the world was built. I enjoyed learning about so many different people and the world in which they operated. I also loved all of the detail concerning design, architecture, art, and how they built the extravagent homes which came to signify their status in the world. I do wish there were more image examples of the architecture - more illustrations if not pictures, to give a better visual of what some features in the homes looked like.

[Jeanne Beaudet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am fascinated by the Gilded Age. This is an excellent book on the period. He gives great detail on how they lived, the rules of being in society, and the money they spent. I loved the stories on the famed individuals and their actions, marriages, and ambition. The only reason why I did give it five stars is because the descriptions of their homes were way too long. Beside from that I loved it.

[Susan L · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best gilded age books

This book goes into great detail about the lives, parties, balls given by the wealthy who by todays standards would be called people who have too much money and time much on there hands. Every chapters goes into great detail from the food served at balls to the uniforms worn by servants on the occasions. So much time & money spent trying to out do each other.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detail-rich, yes, and that’s part of what I wanted from this account of the Gilded Age society. A good mixture of brief history and anecdotes about Caroline Astor, Alva Vanderbilt, Mamie Fish, and their families and social associates along with reasonably detailed descriptions of their dress, jewelry, houses, and social customs.

[Robyn Neilsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting informational text about Gilded Age society. Some sections were super dense with numbers and descriptions of architecture and numbers. Those portions were a bit boring, especially if you aren't familiar with specific architectural terminology.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

I enjoyed this book. If you enjoy reading about the gilded age you will find it interesting. At times the book felt tedious to read because of the excessive descriptions.

[Marissa Sobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book not only wrote about the vanderbilts and astors, but of every important family of the time. They spoke about the clothes, architecture, homes, etiquette, and painted a clear image of what society looked like in all its grandeur and excess.

[Vicky Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

more pictures, please!

Interesting but endless details concerning the grand mansions. Well researched. A picture is worth a thousand words. Book left me lusting for more visual evidence.