As mother and daughter relationships go, Alva and Consuelo Vanderbilt’s was perhaps one of the worst during the Gilded Age. Alva, a Southern belle who married into the rich Vanderbilt family when she wed Willie K Vanderbilt on 20 April 1875 was determined from the moment her only daughter was born to ensure she made …
Tag: consuelo vanderbilt
REVIEW: Million Dollar American Princesses
My Twitter feed was filled to the brim with ads for the Smithsonian Channel’s Million Dollar American Princesses in the weeks leading up to the premiere of Downton Abbey‘s fifth season. The American heiress in 19th and 20th century Europe is a topic that never grows old for me, and I was aggravated that I …
The Duchess of Marlborough’s Lovers
I can’t apologize for yet another post about Consuelo, Duchess of Marlborough, because I find her fascinating beyond the portrait she’s left us of a poor little American heiress bullied into a loveless ducal marriage. Consuelo’s memoirs are excellent for obtaining a glimpse into the opulent, extravagant and reckless life led by the wealthy and …