The Widows Who Ruled The Gilded Age (Documentary) скачать в хорошем качестве

The Widows Who Ruled The Gilded Age (Documentary)

This in-depth, full length documentary describes Gilded Age Widows who inherited not just vast fortunes but the freedom to reshape American high society according to their own ambitions. ————————————— Gain FREE access to full-length documentaries "too scandalous for YouTube" by joining our newsletter: https://www.substack.com/@oldmoneyluxury ————————————— TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Introduction 0:52 Madeleine Astor 18:01 Theresa "Tessie" Fair Oelrichs 36:42 Hetty Green 56:24 Arabella Huntington ————————————— Madeleine Astor became America's most famous young widow when her husband John Jacob Astor IV perished aboard the Titanic in 1912, leaving her with a $100 million inheritance at age 19. The former Madeleine Force had married the 47-year-old heir to America's greatest real estate fortune just one year earlier, sparking scandal due to their age difference. Her pregnancy during the Titanic voyage made her survival particularly dramatic, as she gave birth to John Jacob Astor VI four months after the disaster. Society initially shunned her for remarrying outside the Astor family, but her inheritance allowed her to live independently of social approval. Tessie Fair Oelrichs inherited a silver mining fortune from her father James Graham Fair, one of the "Silver Kings" who struck it rich in Nevada's Comstock Lode. Her marriage to Hermann Oelrichs expanded her influence from West Coast mining wealth to East Coast shipping and railroad money. She became the undisputed queen of Newport society, hosting elaborate parties at her mansion Rosecliff that set the standard for Gilded Age excess. When Hermann died in 1906, Tessie used her combined inheritance to maintain her position as America's premier hostess for two decades. Hetty Green inherited $10 million from her father and aunt, then multiplied it into a $200 million fortune through shrewd investments and extreme frugality. Known as the "Witch of Wall Street," she became America's wealthiest woman by lending money at high interest rates during financial panics. Her legendary cheapness included wearing the same black dress for years and living in tenements to avoid paying taxes. Despite her miserly reputation, she proved that women could master high finance just as effectively as men, controlling railroads and real estate. Arabella Huntington began as the widow of a railroad executive before marrying Collis P. Huntington, one of the "Big Four" who built the Central Pacific Railroad. After Collis died in 1900, she inherited $150 million and became one of America's most important art collectors and philanthropists. She spent decades assembling one of the world's finest private art collections, eventually donating it along with her San Marino estate to create the Huntington Library. Her cultural legacy includes some of America's most important museums and gardens, transforming railroad money into intellectual and artistic treasures. These four women proved that widowhood in the Gilded Age could mean liberation rather than limitation, using their inherited wealth to reshape American culture and society.