Era of Elegance

“Mrs. Astor's regal poise, so frequently noted by breathless society editors of the day, as often as not was caused by the great brackets of diamonds overspread on her back, which prevented her from sitting back in her chair.”

Era of Elegance is a fascinating chronicle of the New York rich during a period that stretched between 1865 and 1914. Most, though not all, lived with a level of lavishness, power, and social dictatorship beyond imagining. They built mansions of spectacular luxur…