We Don’t Pretend to Style: The Real-life History of The Gilded Age in NYC, Season 3 Episode 3

Much of this week’s episode involves the comings-and-goings of characters in Newport, which is both a refreshing change of scenery and a fascinating, much-needed look at Black society during the era. Back in New York City, as always, there are a few intriguing details that remind one of city history, from old names to charity endeavors, and from manufacturing interests to a nice little Easter Egg courtesy of one of my favorite characters, Mamie Fish (who was in fact a real-life New York socialite and a complete character in her own right!).

A map of the Delancey farm as it looked around the Revolution. Parts of the old street grid cut through the farm, and that of the Rutgers farm (on the lower left) can still be seen today. The boundary between the two farms was appropriately known as Division Street. From History of New York during the Revolutionary War and of the Leading Events in the Other Colonies at that Period by Thomas Jones.

This detail from the Ratzer Map, the better known name of the Plan of the City of New York in North America, Surveyed in the years 1766 & 1767, shows what may very well be the Delancey orchard. A larger version can be found here via the New York Public Library.

The Delanceys

The Delancey family is an old New York family, with its roots stretching back to the 1680s, when patriarch and Étienne de Lancy fled France due to the religious persecution of Huguenots. De Lancy later Anglicized his name to Stephen and was heavily involved in city politics, serving as an assemblyman for 26 years and gaining immense wealth as a successful merchant. His sons followed in his footsteps, and had considerable landholdings in Manhattan and Westchester, including a large farm in lower Manhattan to the east of the Bowery.

A view of the Delancey mills and manor house in what is now West Farms, the Bronx, named since it was west of the Bronx River. From The Story of the Bronx by Stephen Jenkins.

By the 1760s, the Delanceys had emerged as a powerful political faction, and most of the family were staunch Loyalists. Stephen’s son Oliver raised three battalions of Loyalists, nicknamed Delancey’s Brigade, which numbered 1,500 men. Another group, headed by James DeLancey and composed of irregular horsemen, was known as “Delancey’s Refugees” and was involved with raids and skirmishes in the “neutral ground” between Manhattan and upper Westchester. The Loyalists under Delancey were nicknamed “cowboys,” perhaps because of their propensity for stealing cattle, while their Patriot foes were called “skinners,” perhaps because of their ability to strip houses of their furnishings and wallpaper. An old urban legend holds that marksmen used to climb an old pine tree on the Delancey farm in the Bronx, known to locals as the “Delancey Pine” and pick off their enemies.

The Delancey Pine Tree. The 150-foot giant was estimated to date from the 16th century. Parts of the tree were dying by the early 20th century and the behemoth was cut down in 1912. From Eighteenth Annual Report of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society to the legislature of the State of New York, 1913.

Following the war, many (although not all) Delanceys fled, and their properties were seized, including the 300 acre Bowery farm. Some streets had been laid out, centered on a large square, and lots were sold off beginning in the mid-1780s. Many of the streets in the area still retain their old names, including those of English counties (Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk Streets), physical landmarks (Grand Street was to lead to Delancey’s Square) and even the remnant of beloved apple orchard (Orchard Street). Delancey Street ran on the northern end of the farm, with a street named after family friend James Rivington, and another named after land agent George Stanton.

Young Women’s Christian Charity (perhaps a stand-in for the YWCA)

The new YWCA building and its features, 1887. Located on 15th Street, it still stands today. From Harper’s Weekly, January 15 1897, Vol 31, No 1569.

Agnes and Ada have both donated to the Young Women’s Christian charity, which is likely referring to the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA). In New York, the Ladies’ Christian Union established an auxiliary branch for young women, which later became its own group, the Young Ladies’ (then Women’s) Christian Association. It provided a place where young women could take classes in both practical skills like sewing and dressmaking, as well as art classes. A free library was available, and folks could attend lectures and music performances. A Brooklyn YWCA was incorporated in 1888.

A rendering of the Margaret Louisa Home, 1894. Both this and the main YWCA building were designed by Robert H. Robertson, who designed many structures in New York City and beyond, including some mansions for Gilded Age elites. This building is also still standing. From Annual report of the Young Women’s Christian Association of the City of New York, 1894.

Many society ladies were involved with charity work, including settlement houses, hospitals, schools, churches, and dedicated women’s clubs. Patronesses of the YWCA included Maria Louisa Kissam Vanderbilt and Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard, who provided funding to build a dedicated house for single working women. Other contributors included Charlotte Augusta Astor, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, and Grace Hoadley Dodge.

The Grand Union Hotel

The Grand Union Hotel c. 1890, showing its proximity to Grand Central Depot. From A Few Glimpses of New York, a handbook issued by the hotel.

The Duke mentions that he’s going to alight to the Union Hotel after staying with the Russells. Given the distance from their house on 61st Street, he may very well be going to the Grand Union Hotel. The Grand Union Hotel, as it was known by 1884, was located right next to Grand Central Depot, and was connected to numerous streetcar lines, as well as the Third Avenue elevated railroad’s spur right outside of the depot.

The Grand Union Hotel on the corner of 42nd Street, shortly before the old landmark was demolished. From Valentine’s Manual of the City of New York, edited by Henry Collins Brown, 1916.

For as little as a dollar per day, guests could stay in one of 600 elegantly appointed rooms, easily reached by elevators. Travellers arriving from the depot could have their luggage brought directly to their rooms for free. One advertisement from Appleton’s Dictionary of New York and Vicinity, published in 1884, boasts of “cuisine and wines of superior merit.” Another advertisement in a guidebook published by the hotel in 1888 mentioned that “travellers could live well at the Grand Union for less money than at any other first class hotel in New York.”

William Knabe Pianos

The advertisement for William Knabe Pianos, from a program for Merlin, an Opera in Three Acts, translated by Gustav Kobbe.

William Knabe pianos were the official piano of the Metropolitan Opera, and its advertisements appeared in the programs during the season. Eagle-eyed viewers might have spied that Mrs. Fish (well played by the fantastic Ashlie Atkinson, who captures the zaniness of the actual Mamie Fish) is holding a program that features an advertisement for their pianos.

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