'Dollar Princesses': American Women Married British Aristocrats, 1870- 1920, The Gilded Age

[appalachiablue]

Last edited Sat Feb 5, 2022, 12:37 AM - Edit history (1)

- Weird History. In the 1870s, rich Americans came up with a new scheme: they sold their daughters abroad, marrying them off to British aristocrats in exchange for a title. In a country without an aristocracy, suddenly every rich American wanted a duchess in the family. The young women, who often didn't have a choice, became known as the Dollar Princesses. Buying noble titles was an old practice, of course, but Americans took it to a new level with Gilded-Age marriages. American brides carried huge fortunes across the sea, including some of the most lavish dowries in history.
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Between 1880 -1920, an estimated 350 marriages took place between women from new wealthy American families and British aristocrats in The Gilded Age. These include Jennie Jerome of NY, the mother of Sir Winston Churchill who m. Lord Randolph Churchill; Consuelo Vanderbilt who m. the Duke of Marlboro; and Francis Work, the daughter of industrialist Franklin Work who m. the Duke of Fermoy. Francis is the great grandmother of Charles and Diana Spencer and American actor Oliver Platt. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Ellen_Work
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Randolph_Churchill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consuelo_Vanderbilt
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- Library of Congress (LOC). Dollar Princesses: Topics in Chronicling America: Beginning in the late 1800s, American heiresses married more than a third of the House of Lords. This guide provides access to materials related to the “Dollar Princesses” in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers. Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages from 1777-1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

Included in the website is the Directory of US Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.



- Cartoon illustration of Dollar Princesses' influence on European men of wealth. September 28, 1913. El Paso Herald (El Paso, TX), Image 33. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.

Europe is broke and America seeks social status. The solution? European nobility marries rich, beautiful American socialites looking for aristocracy. These Gilded Age heiresses married more than a third of the titles represented in the House of Lords, and announcements of these transatlantic marriages were pervasive in the newspapers of the day. American influence was carried overseas, with many brides literally changing the face of Europe, by renovating the stately estates of Edwardian England. Read more...https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-dollar-princesses

[NanceGreggs]

1. Watched a few days ago ...

... fascinating.

[appalachiablue]

9. This is a good one, I saw the Dollar Princesses on the Smithsonian

Channel some years ago. And I watched an interview on an article by Chas. Spencer several years ago by Vanity Fair or Bazaar Mag. but I can't find it. Spencer was dismayed at how his gg grandfather, wealthy 'Frank Work,' agreed to pay the major gambling debts of his son in law, Fermoy, in exchange for raising the 4 children of Fermoy and his daughter Francis Work. - BoJo's mother is American, he was b. in NYC as he likes to tell, but he's no aristo- a privileged elite narcissist.

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. I believe those were called Republican Family Values back then.

And the term "Family Values" has been a Republican copyrighted phrase since at least back then. Has not applied since 1993, however, and they have no pretense of even creating a platform to make this claim today. No platform, they stand for nothing.

[appalachiablue]

7. Indeed. They may want to bring back Titles, hope I'm not around..

[cbabe]

3. It is a truth universally acknowledged,

that a single (woman) in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a (husband).

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Eyre
opening line with slight changes

[appalachiablue]

6. Good quote, she got it, thanks.

[OAITW r.2.0]

8. Is the inverse true?

A single man, of good fortune, wants to spread his oats?

Neither truth is universal to me.

[cbabe]

12. The inverse is the original. Meant to be high comedy of manners by the author.

[Princess Turandot]

10. That would be Jane Austen. (Eyre is a figment of Charlotte Bronte's imagination.)

[cbabe]

11. Of course. Late night posting needs better proofreading.

[Tanuki]

4. Pretty much the backstory of Downton Abbey, no? American-born Lady Cora

brought her family fortune to the marriage, as was needed to prop up the financially troubled and anachronistic estate. In spite of it being a marriage of convenience, they ended up loving and happy together. Probably not the case for many such arrangements.

[appalachiablue]

5. Yep, Cora is mentioned in this video I think. Boris J.'s mother

is American, he was born in NY, but is not an aristo.