The Real-Life Socialite Who Inspired ‘The Gilded Age’s Bertha Russell

The big picture

• The Golden Age
  combines fact and fiction with most events and characters inspired by the story but slightly changed.
• Bertha Russell is heavily based on Alva Vanderbilt, showing similarities in ambition and social struggles.
• Bertha and Gladys also share parallels with Alva and her own daughter Consuelo, as Alva pushed Consuelo to marry a titled English gentleman.

The Golden Age strike a balance between reality and fiction. While many of the show's events are based on reality, most have been slightly altered. Even many of the characters are taken from the story, but not all. To allow the freedom of the story, most of the main characters are invented for the show. While Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy), Ward McAllister (Nathan Lane), and several others are real; the central families are fictionalbut Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) is an exception. The Russell family never existed, but they represent many people of the time who wanted to enter society with their new fortunes. However, Bertha's story takes the place of one particular socialite, com is very much based on Alva Vanderbilttaking his role in the historical opera war.

The two women share many similarities, from their ambition to become part of society to their rivalry with Mrs. Astor. Even Berta's story trying to marry her daughter off to an English duke mirrors Alva's relationship with her own daughter, Consuelo. However, there are also some differences. While Bertha's husband made a fortune, Alva inherited it from her father, although the Vanderbilts were still considered nouveau riche. The parallels between the two women are clear, although the show changes Bertha's name to allow more freedom. Bertha Russell is essentially Alva Vanderbilt, somewhat fictionalized for the ease of the show.

“Bertha Russell from The Gilded Age has a similar journey to Alva Vanderbilt

Although the historical drama is mostly fictional, creator Julian Fellowes confirmed that Bertha Russell is based on Alva Vanderbilt. With this information, similarities can be found in all aspects of their lives. As a self-made man's wife, Bertha does not have the advantages of birth and statusthan most The Golden Agethe characters enjoy themselves. Instead, she is forced to fight for every bit of respect she receives. Season 1 shows her throwing a party that no one attends as she tries to get up, and throughout the show, many get upset with Bertha because she's an outsider.

Similarly, Alva was not a member of New York society by birth, but moved there with her husband, William K. Vanderbilt, after their marriage. Fellowes described Alva as “a woman who meant business,” which applies to how she wrote Bertha. They share the goal of becoming leaders in a society that does not respect themand they fight their battles the same way.

The biggest difference between Bertha and Alva revolves around their relationships with their husbands

However, these two are not exactly the same, and the main difference centers around their husbands. Bertha is married to George Russell (Morgan Spector), a man who made his own fortune as a shrewd businessman as a robber baron and shares his wife's ambitions in many ways. He focuses on building his wealth, a slightly different goal that helps Bertha on several occasions. Although George does not understand Bertha's interest in high society, he is supportive and often uses his power as a bargaining chip in favor of Berta.

However, in Alva's case, it was her father-in-law who made the family fortune. Although her husband, William K. Vanderbilt, had a lot of money to throw around, he was not the source, as George is. Besides, Alva and her husband had a more difficult relationship than Bertha and Georgeas seen by their bitter divorce in 1895. Although there are differences, the similarities in their ambition and drive show a significant connection between Bertha and Alva, and this is only the beginning.

Bertha's “Gilded Age” stories parallel the real life of Alva Vanderbilt

While the basic similarities create this connection between Bertha and Alva, there is much more to it than that. Bertha's stories follow Alva's life, especially in her rivalry with Mrs. Astor, who was a real socialite, Alva Vanderbilt often objected. As the leader of the social elite, Mrs. Astor represents the old money families in fiction and history. In The Golden Age In Season 1, Bertha struggles to get Mrs. Astor's attention and is ignored every step of the way until she begins to foster a friendship between her daughter, Gladys (Taissa Farmiga), and Mrs. Astor's daughter, Carrie (Amy Forsyth).

To get Mrs. Astor to attend her ball, Bertha waits until Carrie gets involved and then refuses to have Carrie if Mrs. Astor isn't there. So Carrie Astor fights alongside Bertha, and Mrs. Astor attends the ball. This plot is based on Alva, who encouraged Carrie to attend a dance and took her out when Mrs. Astor declined the invitation. In both cases, the presence of Mrs. Astor helped the host enter societyand Carrie's defiance was used as a tactic, showing how closely Bertha is based on Alva.

This trend continues in Season 2 as Bertha takes on Alva's role in the opera war. After being denied a seat at the Academy of Music, Bertha champions the Met, working tirelessly to surpass the traditional opera house in grandeur and attendance. Alva was also banned from the Academy, inciting a rebellion that led to the Met. This is the natural progression of Mrs. Astor and Bertha's rivalry because Alva and Mrs. Astor developed that way. As Bertha finds herself in another situation inspired by Alva, the similarities grow beyond coincidence.

Bertha and Gladys' relationship in “The Gilded Age” resembles a real-life counterpart

Bertha's story isn't the only one with a real-life counterpart. Gladys Russell, whom Bertha keeps a close eye on, quickly moves into Consuelo Vanderbilt's life. Gladys does not share her mother's goals and instead wants to leave the strict household and get married, but Bertha's expectations for Gladys' suitors are high. She rejects Archie Baldwin (Tom Blyth), Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson), and Billy Carlton (Matt Walker), all of them from respectable families.

Although Oscar was undoubtedly a fortune hunter, Bertha didn't spend enough time with the others to learn his motivations before refusing. Instead, her eyes are set on the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), who Gladys doesn't seem interested in. The duke has the allure of a name and a title, but no money, while Gladys is an heiress. This concept is not new to those familiar with Fellowes. center of the Abbey. However, even this isn't the first time this concept has come up.

Alva Vanderbilt also had a daughter, Consuelo. Like Bertha, she was vigilant in keeping the “wrong kind” of man away from Consuelo. Like Gladys, Consuelo was a desirable heiress, but despite the many options, Alva set her sights on a member of the British aristocracy. Alva pushed Consuelo to marry the Duke of Marlborough. While this certainly helped her daughter achieve the status Alva coveted, there could be other reasons, such as the imminent divorce of the Vanderbilts, that made her rush to resolve Consuelo before she scandal prevents it.

But Consuelo's marriage was unhappy, partly because her mother forced it on her. As the show continues into Season 3, Gladys is in danger of following the same path. Although the Russell family is not a direct adaptation of the Vanderbilts, Bertha and Gladys are heavily influenced by mother and daughter, providing another example of the Golden Agededication to history. Time will tell if season 3 of The Golden Age he will lean in favor of giving Gladys her freedom to marry whoever she wants, or force her to follow the same path as Consuelo.

The Golden Age is available to play on Max.

LOOK AT MAX