Channel: Weird History

Category: Entertainment

Tags: expensive jewelryrich industrialistsdrunk historyc.k.g. billinglavish costume partiesrobber barons' lifestylesgourmet eating contestsgilded age decadence1900s americaluxury railroad carsweird history americagourmet foodsthe 1 percentweird history‘diamond’ jim bradycnnlife in the gilded agecoastal elitesbiltmore estaterailroad tycooncornelius vanderbiltsnowy egret feathersextravagant homesrichesthe gilded agethe vanderbilts

Description: Rich families of the Gilded Age lived lives nearly unimaginable today. How so? One need only look around one's hometown and see where the enormous, glorious mansions of the late 19th century have either been turned into private or public museums – or are peeling and rotting away – to get a glimpse. In most cases, it is simply too costly to maintain them as private residences anymore. So, imagine just how incredibly rich the handful of mid- to late 19th-century families had to be to keep up such lavish appearances. The Gilded Age wealth disparity was so extreme that people today often compare them to what modern society terms the "one-percent" class. #GildedAge #RobberBarons #WeirdHistory