A Day that Promised to Make or Mar the Fortunes: The Real-life History of The Gilded Age in NYC, Season 3 Episode 7

Mrs. Astor’s great arbiter of society was born as Samuel Ward McAllister in 1827 in Savannah, Georgia. His father’s family served with great distinction in various levels of local and national government, and his mother came from a long line of New Englanders. He was a cousin of writer Julia Ward Howe and lobbyist Samuel Ward Cutler, and was in the orbit of many antebellum socialites. He spent time in Newport as a boy, which was then a notable vacation spot for Southern families, and went to Yale.

A cartoon from Puck Magazine lampooning Ward McAllister and “Society as I Have Found It,” with quotes directly from the book. The editor notes, “It is not easy to burlesque him. He is a burlesque in himself.” Puck, October 29, 1890, Volume 28, Number 712.

In 1850, Ward, as he preferred to be styled, sailed for California, and for a time he practiced law with his father in San Francisco. He made enough money to live a comfortable life, and in 1853 strengthened his position by marrying Sarah Tainter Gibbons, who came from a prominent family. The couple kept a townhouse in New York City, and purchased a farm in Rhode Island, where Ward would later host his famous picnics. They also traveled to Europe, where Ward eagerly absorbed not only the culture and the cuisine, but the strict rules of European society.

One of Ward McAllister’s favorite mottos was “there is no society without ladies,” which certainly must have delighted many. From The Sketch, February 6, 1895, Vol 9, No. 106.

Although Sarah was content with a slower-paced lifestyle, Ward was irrepressibly drawn to matters of society, and was remarkably suited to making connections, which he leveraged to great effect. In the years following the Civil War, Ward skillfully navigated the social climate, holding popular parties at Delmonico’s on 14th Street. In 1872 he created the Society of Patriarchs, inviting 25 men to join, paying $125 for the privilege. As part of the membership, they would host balls each season, where they could personally select four ladies and five gentlemen, along with 50 guests who were vetted by Ward.

The abundant table laid out for one of Ward’s famous picnics at his Bayside Farm. From The Illustrated American, September 20, 1890, Vol. 3, No 31.

This carefully cultivated exclusivity helped solidify Ward’s status, and he soon became part of Caroline Astor’s inner circle, convincing her and others to buy property in Newport and commission summer “cottages” (often massive mansions). By doing so, Ward ensured that the elite members of society would travel up to Newport to enjoy the Casino, yachting, and many other pleasures, along with the always-present parties.

The first stanza of the anonymous “Charge of the 400” poem. This “Society Legend in Rhyme” offers a satirical look at the 400, and whether they are of Mrs. Astor or Ward McAllister.

Ward is credited with coining the idea of Mrs. Astor’s four hundred in an 1888 interview, where he remarked “Why, there are only about 400 people in fashionable New York society. If you go outside that number you strike people who are either not at ease in a ballroom or else make other people not at ease.” He was much lampooned for this comment, and later recanted, saying to another reporter that “the term 400 has no actual meaning. It is a general phrase which stands for an exclusive association of people, who represent the very best society in this city…” It is often said that the number 400 indicates the number of people who could fit into Mrs. Astor’s ballroom, although the number also has court and literary precedents, and indeed could be a callback of sorts to the 400 members of society who were invited to the ball celebrating the Prince of Wales at the Academy of Music in 1861.

In his book, Ward included numerous types of invitations and the proper way to respond to them. This invitation is for the Bachelors’ Ball, put on at the Metropolitan Opera House.

In 1890, Ward published his memoir, Society as I Have Found It, offering his impressions of the “smart set,” along with tidbits from his background and some light gossip about society members. It was indeed sold by Cassel & Co. Books (see below), and those interested enough could purchase one of a select 400 deluxe editions signed by Ward. Needless to say, the book both upset said members of society and served as a flashpoint for immense mockery. Puck Magazine referred to Ward as “New York’s Sassiety Idol” in a satire of his memoir.

Ward McAllister’s Funeral at Grace Church, February 4 1895. His pallbearers included Chauncey Depew, Bradley Martin, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. From The World, Evening Edition.

Although Ward’s demise was not quite as abrupt as portrayed in The Gilded Age, his reputation did take a major hit from which he would never recover. He had made some enemies over the years, and had gotten into heated arguments with the Patriarchs over their namesake balls, leading Stuyvesant Fish (Mamie’s husband) to call him “a discharged servant” to the press. He died in January 1895, the same day that the Charity Ball was held. A smattering of Patriarchs attended his funeral, although Mrs. Astor and other members of the fabled 400 were conspicuously absent. Ward McAllister was buried in the catacombs of Green-Wood Cemetery.

Prospect Park

Scenes in Prospect Park. Some areas of the park were open, while others, such as the lake, were still under construction and would be for some time. From Harper’s Weekly, September 18 1868, Vol 12, No 611.

Prospect Park occupies part of the massive terminal moraine that stretches across Brooklyn and Queens. Early European settlers called it the Heights of Guan after the Canarsee sachem Gouwane (who is also the namesake of Gowanus). The area saw fighting during the Battle of Brooklyn, as the pass through the heights, along with a nearby hill, were defended by Americans, who were caught by surprise by the British and Hessians. With other lines collapsing around them, the soldiers fled through Battle Pass across what is now the Long Meadow, continuing on through and around Gowanus Creek to reach safety in Brooklyn Heights.

Map of the Battle of Brooklyn (aka the Battle of Long Island), from Historical Guide to the City of New York, 1913. The British and Hessian landing and overnight march to the Jamaica Pass, which caught the Americans by surprise, is shown.

The key is as follows: A. At Gowanus, where Grant opened the battle with the Americans under Stirling; B. American position under Sullivan in Greenwood Cemetery, attacked by the Hessians under DeHeister; C. Howe’s position at the rear of Sullivan; D. Howard’s Half Way House; E. Howe’s final position on the American flank, Grant attacking in front; F. Fort Putnam (now Fort Greene); G. Brooklyn Ferry, line of American retreat.

The main gate at Greenwood Cemetery, 1891. It was designed by Richard Upjohn and opened in 1865. From Green-Wood Illustrated.

The nearby hill was opened in 1838 as Green-Wood Cemetery, and in addition to hosting burials, it became a favorite spot for people to ride their carriages, stroll, and picnic. At the time, it was normal to do such activities in rural cemeteries, and this eventually helped persuade areas of the merits of dedicated parks. Seeing the immense success of Central Park in Manhattan, Brooklyn residents clamored for a park of their own, and the Brooklyn Parks Commission was established to make that a reality. Landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux were hired to design the park and tame the rocky land. They began with their preliminary surveys in 1865.

The pastoral views in Prospect Park, 1870. From D. Appleton’s New York Illustrated.

The park was named after nearby Mount Prospect, the second tallest point in Brooklyn after Green-Wood’s Battle Hill. Interestingly, Mount Prospect wasn’t incorporated into Prospect Park, as Vaux and Olmsted didn’t want it to be divided by Flatbush Avenue. The site of a reservoir built in 1856 and demolished in 1940, Mount Prospect is now a separate park, the site of such iconic institutions as the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Brooklyn Public Library.

The Mount Prospect lab, water tower, and reservoir, 1905. From Notes on New York City and Vicinity, Describing Engineering Works and Places of General Interest by the New England Water Works Association.

Gazebos along the Lake. From An Album of Selected Views of Greater New York by Isaac Blanchard, 1906.

1,800 workers labored to craft the park, earning an average of $1.70 per day. Costs for the project ran to nearly $10,000,000, which was a tremendous sum indeed. Much like Central Park, Prospect Park opened in stages, with the first visitors accessing it in 1867; most of the major construction was completed by 1874. Over two million people visited the park in its first year, and countless more have been enjoying its timeless beauty ever since.

An aerial view of Prospect Park, 1923. From Brooklyn, New York City: Why it is the Fourth Industrial City of the United States.

Cassel & Co Books, 739 and 741 Broadway

Cassel & Company, Limited advertisement from August 1883, the Annual Publishers Trade List.

A nice little detail from this episode is that Cassel & Co. Books are distributing Ward McAllister’s memoir, with the crates branded with their address. Although they were known as Cassel & Co. Limited by 1884, they did indeed operate out of 739 and 741 Broadway similarly to how they were depicted in the show, although they moved several blocks away after 1889 (note that the timeline of the publication of Ward McAllister’s book was moved up by six years). Contemporary advertisements note that the company published many types of books and associated works, including illustrated books, children’s books, art books, serial volumes, dictionaries, handbooks, magazines, etchings, and watercolors.

An advertisement issued by Cassell Publishing Company, then operating at 104 & 106 4th Avenue, showing the company distributing Society as I Have Found It, with the regular edition selling for $2, and the Edition de Luxe, limited to 400 copies, selling for $15. From The Dial, A Monthly Journal of Literature, December 1890.

Catch up on all of The Gilded Age posts from Season 3: