The unrestrained and unregulated capitalism which emerged after the Civil War in the United States created a class of people eager and willing to show off their wealth in creative and excessive ways. On might even think that they were trying to outdo one another in conspicuously displaying their wealth for all to see. Three examples of this tendency come to mind.
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| Money to burn. |
At one party of wealthy socialites the men, after dinner, gathered in the smoking room of the host mansion and were provided with tobacco and paper to roll cigarettes for themselves. Nothing unusual about that, except that the "papers" provided were $100.00 bills. The men proceeded to all have a fine "smoke." This, at a time when working men were making only a dollar or two a day, if that, for their labor (12-14 hour days being the norm).
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| On the way to luncheon? |
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| The finest of everything appeared on the dining tables of the "Gilded Age," if you could afford it. |
A surprise awaited the guests at the third example I am about to relate. Guests arrived for a dinner party and, at the appropriate time, were ushered into the elegant dining room with an immaculately set table with china, silver, crystal, flowers, linen,...but something was different. These wealthy, beautifully dressed couples had seen many unusual things done at dinners before,...but what was this? Down the entire middle of the very long dining table was what can only be described as a wooden "sandbox" with small shovels inserted into the sand so that each guest could have one for themselves. The guests were filled with questions but the hosts revealed nothing, telling them that they would reveal all at the proper time. Everyone was seated, course after course of fine food was served, expensive wines were drunk,...but the question on everyone's mind remained unanswered. Just as everyone was to rise from the table, the host told the guests that he and his wife greatly appreciated their coming. And to show their appreciation he asked that each guest take a shovel and dig in the sandbox, and that whatever they found they could take home with them as a gift from their hosts. The guests were overjoyed to have their unanswered question finally answered, but were even more surprised when they started finding diamonds, rubies, emeralds and nuggets of gold and silver buried in the sand. The guests went home very happy at the end of the evening.
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| Party favors in a sandbox. Surprise! |
My next post will be about the most "excessive" wealthy American of his age, James Buchanan "Diamond Jim" Brady. Hope you visit me again. NOTE: The complete story of James Buchanan "Diamond Jim" Brady is told in my post of July 19, 2012. If you are interested in the excesses of the "Gilded Age" his story will engage your attention.
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| A unique and interesting character whose story should be told. |