The Real-Life Socialite Who Inspired ‘The Gilded Age’s Bertha Russell

The Big Picture

• The Gilded Age
  blends reality and fiction with most events and characters inspired by history but changed slightly.
• Bertha Russell is heavily based on Alva Vanderbilt, showing similarities in ambition and societal struggles.
• Bertha and Gladys also share parallels with Alva and her own daughter Consuelo, as Alva pushed Consuelo to marry a titled English lord.

The Gilded Age strikes a balance between reality and fiction. While many of the events in the show are based on reality, most are slightly changed. Even many of the characters are taken from history, but not all. To allow the story freedom, most of the leading characters are invented for the show. While Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy), Ward McAllister (Nathan Lane), and several others are real; the central families are fictional, but Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) is an exception. The Russell family never existed, but they represent many people from the era who wanted to break into society with their newly made fortunes. Yet Bertha’s story takes the place of one socialite in particular, as she is heavily based on Alva Vanderbilt, taking her role in the historical opera war.

The two women share many similarities, from their ambition to become part of society to their rivalry with Mrs. Astor. Even the story of Bertha attempting to marry her daughter to an English Duke reflects Alva’s relationship with her own daughter, Consuelo. However, there are some differences as well. While Bertha’s husband made their fortune, Alva’s inherited it from her father, though the Vanderbilts were still considered nouveau riche. The parallels between the two women are clear, though the show changes Bertha’s name to allow itself more freedom. Bertha Russell is essentially Alva Vanderbilt, just slightly fictionalized for the show’s ease.

‘The Gilded Age’s Bertha Russell Has a Similar Journey to Alva Vanderbilt

Though the historical drama is mostly fictional, creator Julian Fellowes confirmed that Bertha Russell is based on Alva Vanderbilt. With that information, similarities can be found in every aspect of their lives. As the wife of a self-made man, Bertha doesn’t have the benefits of birth and status, which most of The Gilded Age‘s characters enjoy. Instead, she is forced to fight for every bit of respect she receives. Season 1 shows her throwing a party that no one attends as she attempts to rise, and throughout the show, many resent Bertha because she is an outsider.

Similarly, Alva was not a member of New York society by birth but moved there with her husband, William K. Vanderbilt, after their marriage. Fellowes described Alva as “a woman who meant business,” which applies to how he wrote Bertha. They share a goal of becoming a leader in a society that doesn’t respect them, and they fight battles in the same way.

Bertha and Alva’s Biggest Difference Revolves Around Their Relationships With Their Husbands

However, these two are not exactly the same, and the main difference centers around their husbands. Bertha is married to George Russell (Morgan Spector), a man who made his own fortune as a shrewd businessman as a robber baron and shares his wife’s ambitions in many ways. He focuses on building their wealth, a slightly different goal that helps Bertha on several occasions. While George doesn’t understand Bertha’s interest in high society, he is supportive and often uses his power as a bargaining chip in Bertha’s favor.

However, in Alva’s case, it was her father-in-law who made the family fortune. Though her husband, William K. Vanderbilt, had plenty of money to throw around, he was not the source, like George is. Additionally, Alva and her husband had a more rocky relationship than Bertha and George, as seen by their bitter divorce in 1895. Though there are differences, the similarities in their ambition and drive show a significant connection between Bertha and Alva, and that is just the beginning.

Bertha’s ‘Gilded Age’ Storylines Parallel Alva Vanderbilt’s Real Life

While the basic similarities create this connection between Bertha and Alva, there is much more to it than that. Bertha’s storylines follow Alva’s life, especially in her rivalry with Mrs. Astor, who was a real socialite Alva Vanderbilt often opposed. As the leader of the social elite, Mrs. Astor represents the old money families in fiction and history. In The Gilded Age Season 1, Bertha fights to get Mrs. Astor’s attention and is ignored every step of the way until she begins to foster a friendship between her daughter, Gladys (Taissa Farmiga), and Mrs. Astor’s daughter, Carrie (Amy Forsyth).

To get Mrs. Astor to attend her ball, Bertha waits until Carrie gets involved and then refuses to have Carrie there if Mrs. Astor isn’t. So Carrie Astor fights on Bertha’s side, and Mrs. Astor attends the ball. This plot is based on Alva, who encouraged Carrie to participate in a dance and removed her when Mrs. Astor refused the invitation. In both cases, Mrs. Astor’s presence helped the host break into society, and Carrie’s defiance was used as a tactic, showing how closely Bertha is based on Alva.

This trend continues in Season 2 as Bertha takes Alva’s role in the opera war. After being denied a box seat at the Academy of Music, Bertha champions the Met, working tirelessly to surpass the traditional opera house in grandeur and attendance. Alva was also blocked out of the Academy, inciting a rebellion that led to the Met. This is the natural progression of Mrs. Astor and Bertha’s rivalry because Alva and Mrs. Astor’s developed this way. As Bertha finds herself in another situation inspired by Alva, the similarities grow beyond coincidence.

Bertha and Gladys’ Relationship in ‘The Gilded Age’ Resembles a Real-Life Counterpart

Bertha’s story is not the only one that has a real-life counterpart. Gladys Russell, who Bertha keeps a close eye on, is quickly heading toward Consuelo Vanderbilt’s life. Gladys does not share her mother’s goals and instead wants to get out of the strict household and get married, but Bertha’s expectations for Gladys’ suitors are high. She rejects Archie Baldwin (Tom Blyth), Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson), and Billy Carlton (Matt Walker), all of whom are from respectable families.

Though Oscar was certainly a fortune hunter, Bertha didn’t spend enough time with the others to know their motivations before refusing them. Instead, her eye is on the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), whom Gladys doesn’t seem interested in. The Duke has the allure of a name and title but has no money, while Gladys is an heiress. This concept isn’t new to those familiar with Fellowes’ Downton Abbey. However, even that isn’t the first time this concept occurred.

Alva Vanderbilt had a daughter as well, Consuelo. Like Bertha, she was vigilant in keeping the “wrong kind” of man away from Consuelo. Like Gladys, Consuelo was a desirable heiress, but despite the many options, Alva set her sights on a member of the British aristocracy. Alva pushed Consuelo to marry the Duke of Marlborough. Though this certainly helped her daughter attain the status that Alva coveted, there could be other reasons, like the Vanderbilts’ impending divorce, that made her rush to settle Consuelo before scandal could impede her.

But Consuelo’s marriage was unhappy, partly because her mother forced it upon her. As the show continues into Season 3, Gladys is in danger of going down the same path. While the Russell family is not a direct adaption of the Vanderbilts, Bertha and Gladys are heavily influenced by the mother and daughter, giving another example of the Gilded Age‘s dedication to history. Time will tell if Season 3 of The Gilded Age will lean in favor of giving Gladys her freedom to marry who she wants, or force her to walk the same path as Consuelo.

The Gilded Age is available to stream on Max.

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