Lunchtime Lectures: Gilded Age Fashion

Join art and culture historian and Senior Editor in the Publications and Editorial Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Dr. Elizabeth L. Block, for a discussion about her latest book GILDED AGE FASHION. Transport yourself to the exuberance and glamour of elite American society in the 1870s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, when influential families like the Vanderbilts, Astors and Rockefellers hosted, attended, and dressed exquisitely for the grandest events in the United States and Europe. 

Elizabeth will detail the social etiquette and customs that guided the sartorial choices of the fabulously wealthy. Each sumptuous gown tells a story about its creator and the woman who wore it, and the opulent balls, opera nights, charity benefits, and society weddings she might have attended.

History enthusiasts, fashion lovers, and fans of Julian Fellowes’ HBO series The Gilded Age will delight in the stories that bring these garments to life, revealing the personal narratives and politics that shaped the clothing of America’s Gilded Age.

Elizabeth L. Block PhD is an art and culture historian, international speaker, and award-winning author of Gilded Age Fashion, Beyond Vanity: The History and Power of Hairdressing, and Dressing Up: The Women Who Influenced French Fashion. She is also a Senior Editor in the Publications and Editorial Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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