GUEST BLOG: The Gowns That Defined The Gilded Age by Harper St. George Plus Giveaway!

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The Gilded Age was a time of big changes in America. For the wealthy families of the era, it was a time of quickly escalating wealth. For example, the Vanderbilt family holdings alone are estimated to be worth over $2 billion dollars in today’s money and Rockefeller’s worth estimated at over $400 billion dollars by today’s standards. John D. Rockefeller is known as our country’s first billionaire. What set these families apart from other wealthy families of the time is that they were born poor with humble beginnings and worked their way up to their vast fortunes, and they weren’t alone.

Depending on who you ask, America’s Gilded Age is defined as 1865 (the end of the Civil War) up to World War I. I think the core of the time period is from around 1870 to 1900, when the Progressive Movement really took over. The first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 which helped tremendously to fuel this rise in industry and commerce. This created wealth the country had never seen before and, with the aid of the invention of the stock ticker, meant that men could earn a million dollars in a single day. This created a new set of families eager to gain access to the established social scene.

While this was all well and good for the men who were able to move in business and political circles through necessity, it left the women in these families behind. They were not as easily able to mingle in the long-established social circles of places like New York. They were not invited to all the right parties and teas, and this was in a time when who you knew and personal recommendation was everything. Women at this time were not as easily able to set out and make their own way in life. Social standing (or lack thereof) influenced who their daughters could marry and, in a way that felt very real to them, would help stabilize their daughters’ futures—or not.

One way these new families jumped this social hurdle, so to speak, was to marry impoverished European noblemen. These marriages were commonly known as “cash for class” marriages and helped these women gain access to a society that had shunned them previously. A title in the family could open many doors. But one could not simply show up at a London ball or drawing room in Vienna. First, they had to dress the part.

American heiresses were known for showing up in the latest styles and wearing far more jewels than were fashionable. Old money preferred understated elegance. However, this tactic displayed their wealth in a far more tangible way and gained the attention they needed. They may have single-handedly given rise to one of the first design houses in Paris that specialized in haute couture. This was House of Worth, run by Englishman Charles Frederick Worth. His gowns graced royalty, leading entertainers of the day, and many American heiresses. They were known for their opulence, such as gold embroidery, and fine attention to detail with intricate patterns sewn from glass beads and jewels.

The following are a few examples from House of Worth in no particular order. All photos are courtesy of the Met Museum.

Ball Gown from around 1900

Gown from 1893

Ballgown from 1882

Afternoon dress from 1872

An evening jacket from around 1890

As you can see, the fashions themselves are works of art, and helped to firmly establish the new money Americans. This is why I try to mention House of Worth and the beautiful gowns and fashions created by the designer in all of my Gilded Age books. It was such a decadent and opulent time in American history. It was also a period of great poverty and inequality. Before the Great Depression of the 1920s, there was a depression in the 1870s that was known as the Great Depression at the time. Now it’s usually referred to as the Long Depression. There were also a series of recessions in the 1880s and 1890s, and some refer to another depression in the 1890s. These helped lead to the much-needed social reforms we see begin to happen at the end of that century and the early part of the 20th century.

I refer to these social issues a bit in The Lady Tempts an Heir. Lady Helena runs a charity that gives aid to women and children adversely effected by industry, and the hero, Max Crenshaw, is leading his family’s company through a tumultuous time as workers demand their rights. I hope you come away from this story with a fuller picture of many facets of the Gilded Age.

About The Book

The Gilded Age Heiresses: Book 3
Publication Date: February 22, 2022

A fake engagement brings together a lady with bold and daring dreams, and the heir whose heart she captured—perfect for fans of Bridgerton!

Tall, dark, and brooding—to say that American Maxwell Crenshaw stood out in the glittering ballrooms of London is an understatement. He vowed never to set foot in England again, but when a summons from his father along with an ultimatum to secure his legacy has him crossing the Atlantic for the last time, reuniting him with the delectable Lady Helena March, he can’t deny the temptation she presents. Or the ideas she inspires…

Lady Helena March is flirting with scandal. Instead of spending her time at teas and balls in search of another husband, as is expected of a young widow, Helena pours her energy into The London Home for Young Women. But Society gives no quarter to unmarried radicals who associate with illegitimate children and fallen women, and Helena’s funding is almost run out. So when the sinfully seductive Crenshaw heir suggests a fake engagement to save them both—him from an unwanted marriage and her from scorn and financial ruin—Helena finds herself too fascinated to refuse the sexy American.

As their arrangement of convenience melts oh so deliciously into nights of passion, their deception starts to become real. But if Max knew the true reason Helena can never remarry, he wouldn’t look at her with such heat in his eyes. Or might the Crenshaw heir be willing to do whatever it takes to win the one woman he’s never been able to forget…

Praise

“With sizzling chemistry, brilliant banter, and an unapologetically strong, feminist heroine, Harper St. George sets the pages ablaze!”—Christi Caldwell, USA Today bestselling author of Along Came a Lady

“Harper St. George just gets better and better with every book, penning the kind of page-turning stories that you will want to read again as soon as you finish each one. Max and Helena are my new favorite couple in the series.”—Lyssa Kay Adams, author of Isn’t it Bromantic?

Buy Links

Giveaway

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The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on March 18th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The Lady Tempts an Heir

About The Author

Harper St. George was raised in rural Alabama and along the tranquil coast of northwest Florida. It was a setting filled with stories of the old days that instilled in her a love of history, romance, and adventure. By high school, she had discovered the historical romance novel which combined all of those elements into one perfect package. She has been hooked ever since.

She lives in the Atlanta area with her husband and two children. When not writing, she can be found devouring her husband’s amazing cooking and reading. She would love to hear from you. Please visit her website at www.harperstgeorge.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads.