There are just under 30 days left until the premiere of the second season of The Gilded Age and there are so many historical facts surrounding the series that I’m firmly rooting for many to get into the plot. With Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) being influenced by the life of Alva Vanderbilt, making us conclude that Gladys (Tassia Farmiga) will have Consuelo Vanderbilt as a mirror, among other parallels, it makes us wonder if once Larry (Harry Richardson) embraced architecture as a profession, and the Russells are already linked to the most famous architect of the time: Stanford White. Scandal, death, and gossip are in the future of the series!

I’ve already mentioned Stanford’s involvement in another scandal, which involved an underage girl leaving a cake as a gift for a married man. Would anyone doubt that he would have the tragedy announced as his end? Well, the architect most sought after by wealthy families in Manhattan, the man who designed the famous Washington Square Arch, was shot dead by the rich Harry Thaw. All because of the honor of a young woman, Evelyn Nesbit, considered one of the most beautiful of her time who had a poor background, was a model and dancer, having been involved with Stanford before marrying Henry. Jealousy, Sex and Power, a scandal that revealed the immoral conduct of New York’s very rich. After being a film, there is nothing more natural than it being at some point in The Gilded Age, do you agree? Let’s look at the details.

Evelyn Nesbit arrived in New York at just 15 years old, with many dreams and no resources. Her undeniable beauty was identified by photographers and soon began to appear in newspapers and magazines, gaining immediate fame. In addition to being a model, she was a dancer and entered the social circle of Stanford White, a man who was “interested in all things beautiful” and 30 years her senior. In fact, Stanford was a Jeffrey Epstein of his time, sexually abusing minors barely into their teens.

Even if she dreamed of something more serious with the architect, Evelyn knew that marriage was out of the cards since he was already a family man. So when she met young Harry Kendall Thaw, her life took a different turn. Harry came from a wealthy Pittsburgh family and fell madly in love with her, pursuing her until she accepted him as her husband. But there were problems. The young millionaire was addicted to drugs, was expelled from Harvard, beat women with whips (including Evelyn herself who was also raped by him), and was already known for engaging in bizarre behavior, which included lighting cigars with $5 bills. However, the moment he discovered that Stanford White took Evelyn’s virginity, he became mad with jealousy and decided to avenge her rape. One day he surprised the architect with several point-blank shots. The tragedy was just beginning.

Murder among the city’s elite was unusual, unsurprisingly it received much press. All the newspapers reported on the architect’s amoral life, described as an “unhealthy fascination with the degeneration of the so-called upper classes”.

Thousands of readers bought everything that was published, with all the details of Stanford’s relationship and apartment, including the description of the famous red velvet swing. In just a few weeks, in addition to the tabloids, two films shown on Nickelodeon and Vaudeville recounted the affair, portraying Harry as an innocent and offended husband, since his family produced one of the films. sensationalists that to this day generate clicks and audiences. In the middle of the dispute, there was a young woman abused by everyone: Evelyn Nesbit.

Born Florence Evelyn Nesbit, she began working as a model as a child, after the sudden death of her father, when she was just 10 years old and had to help support the house. She moved to New York with her family five years later. She posed for famous artists of the time, with their faces on magazine covers and newspaper advertisements. To join the theater was a step closer to modeling so she started working as a chorus girl, catching the attention of several rich and powerful men in the audience. Stanford White was one of them. According to her testimony, the architect was a friend of hers and her mother but had sexually assaulted her when she was unconscious in his apartment.

Stanford was a tall, flamboyant man with red hair and a red mustache, seen (until his double life was revealed) as a witty, kind, and generous man. A collector of rare and expensive works of art and antiques, he maintained a multi-story apartment with a rear entrance on 24th Street, with one of the bedrooms painted green and decorated with a red velvet swing, hanging from the ceiling, suspended by ropes intertwined with ivy. After the scandal with Evelyn, it was discovered that he used to “play” with the swing precisely as a means of preparing underage girls for a sexual relationship. Evelyn also used the swing. As recorded, the process of education was an important feature of Stanford’s obsession with sex. The abused girls were all poor and he entered their lives as a paternal benefactor, taking advantage of the trust and gratitude that defined the relationships. According to writer Mark Twain, Stanford “hunted” girls without remorse. “These facts have been well known in New York for many years, but have never been openly proclaimed until now,” he wrote.

According to Evelyn’s testimony, she was invited to dinner at the apartment on 24th Street, where he served champagne that was spiked with some drug because she passed out when she woke up, she had been raped. She was 16 at the time and White was 48. Evelyn cried a lot, but Stanford claimed there was nothing left to do. They maintained the affair for six months, but then they separated amicably. Harry and Stanford’s rivalry predated his marriage to Evelyn, as Harry blamed him for blocking access to private clubs, but it worsened when he found out what happened to his wife.

According to Harry told his trial, on the night of the crime he was having dinner with Evelyn when he saw Stanford at the same restaurant, near the theater at Madison Square Garden. It was the opening night of a play and the two went to the show. At the time of the final song, the millionaire approached with the gun in hand and said before shooting three times just half a meter away: “You ruined my wife”.

With two shots to the face, the architect died instantly, but many thought it was a trick in the play. Only when they realized what happened did the chaos begin. Arrested and charged with first-degree murder, Harry was denied bail. He maintained luxury behind bars, with dinners coming from the Delmonico restaurant, not wearing a prison uniform, and drinking champagne and wine. He was tried twice and acquitted, being hospitalized for temporary insanity. He tried to escape and was arrested again.

Evelyn and Harry divorced when he was released in 1915. He denied until his death that he was the father of the child she gave birth to and registered as Russell Thaw. Evelyn received no financial aid or inheritance. She worked as an actress in Hollywood and died at age 82.

Harry was accused of having beaten and raped a young woman in 1916 and was arrested again, gaining freedom in 1924. He lived until the age of 76. All biographers claim that he never regretted killing Stanford White. Even more, he often said if he could, he would do it again.

Imagine at least part of this soap opera in The Gilded Age?

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