Bad Romance: Divorce in the Gilded Age
Podcast: The Gilded GentlemanPublished On: Tue May 26 2026
Description: Historian and academic Nancy Unger joins The Gilded Gentleman to delve into the social politics of divorce in the Gilded Age. She discusses several high-profile cases of the 19th century; even the Astors and Vanderbilts were not immune. Throughout history, marriage has functioned as a prerequisite for one's role in an accepted society and have also served as business deals, empire-building, and, in some cases, actual love matches. Thus -- they were often very difficult to end. Throughout much of the 19th century, the idea of dissolving a marriage through divorce was nearly unthinkable for many and certainly caused the wife to be excluded from society as a pariah. Yet, some women fought against the constraints of an unacceptable marriage and the judgments of an unforgiving society. NOTE: This show has one reference to self-harm. This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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