Steve and I are binge-watching The Gilded Age, a historical drama set in the 1880s. It features real historical figures, like Carrie Astor and J.P. Morgan, as well as fictionalized versions of real people. Bertha and George Russell on the show are based on Jay Gould and Alva Vanderbilt. Like in the show, Alva forced her daughter to marry an impoverished duke in England.
The Gilded Age is a good drama with gorgeous dresses, for sure. An excellent way to unwind at the end of the day. But it’s more than that.
Lurking behind the wood-paneled doorways and cigar haze of The Gilded Age is the unspoken message: this long-ago time with corsets and balls isn’t so different from today. We still care too much about status and rank. The rich are still rich. And, even with the flaws in our country, talent still rises to the top, and reformers continue to seek improvements.
Read more at Apt. 11D, the newsletter
Apt. 11d 
Persnickety comment: The son of Norway’s crown princess is not a prince. His mother married the crown prince, but his father is a convicted felon.
Cranberry
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