The Interview with Leslie
The Gilded Age in Newport - feat. Trudy Coxe
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This past Sunday, June 22nd was the Season 3 Premiere of HBO’s hit series, The Gilded Age. Part of the success of this show is the viewing audience’s fascination of this time period – a time of rapid change and immense wealth in the United States – and the grand mansions of the time located in Newport, Rhode Island.
I thought my listeners would be interested in going behind the scenes – to learn more about this time of great change, wealth, power and drama in American History – and who better to give us a view into this world and history, than Trudy Coxe, the CEO and Executive Director of the Preservation Society of Newport County.
In this episode, Trudy and I talk about the “Gilded Age” – this time of transformation following the Civil War where the railroads, oil, banking, created the Robber Barons and the rise of families like the Vanderbilts, Goulds, Astors.
We explore the similarities between the show and real like characters – for example, Bertha Russell and Alva Vanderbilt and how the show’s creator, Julian Fellowes, went to great lengths to make certain that he was getting the historical details of the time correct. Importantly, Fellowes engaged historians to ensure that the story of the rise of elite Black Americans during this time were being accurately portrayed through his character Peggy Scott.
We also examine about the role of immigrants in this society, the architecture of these grand homes, the culture of religious freedom in Newport and the broader economy at the time. While we talk about the rise of these families and great wealth in America at the time, we also explore the fall of the Gilded Age and these grand summer cottages and the creation of the Preservation Society and its importance in maintaining these homes and in it this important period of American history.
For lovers of history, Newport or the Gilded Age, this episode is for you!
And if you haven’t already, be sure to follow us on Instagram @TheInterviewWithLeslie and subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode.
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