Sex in the Gilded Age

Alva Vanderbilt

The unconventional socialite Alva Vanderbilt was married to one of the richest men in America, William K. Vanderbilt, from 1875 until 1895. Despite their wealth, Alva couldn't make her way into societal circles since her family was considered "new money." But ambitious Alva didn't give up, and they were finally welcomed into the world of the elite when she arranged for her daughter, Consuelo, to marry the Duke of Marlborough. In 1883, she christened their "arrival" at their Fifth Avenue chateau with a lavish, $250,000 masquerade ball.

Then Alva shocked New York's high society by divorcing her rich hubby — a scandalous thing to do at the time. She later married his friend Oliver Belmont, but after he passed away, she went on to become a prominent suffragist. She donated to the women's rights movement in the US and UK and in 1909 founded the Political Equality League to get votes for suffrage-supporting New York state politicians.