The Official Gilded Age Podcast S1 Ep.4: “A Long Ladder” with Audra McDonald and Dr.Erica Armstrong Dunbar
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Feb 15, 2022 Audra McDonald and Dr. Erica Armstrong Dunbar discuss the development of the Scott family storyline and black America in 1882. They explore the exclusive clubs of the Gilded Age and the possibility of servant-master affairs. The podcast also highlights the existence of a black elite in New York City during the 1880s and the erasure of their stories. They discuss assumptions and biases among the characters based on race and social class. Peggy's career working for a black owned newspaper and the relevance of the Gilded Age era are also explored.
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Men's Social Clubs
- Exclusive men's clubs like the Knickerbocker Club and Union Club were popular during the Gilded Age.
- These clubs offered luxurious spaces for wealthy white men to socialize, dine, and conduct business.
Bertha's Social Ploy
- Bertha Russell uses the retrieval of Aunt Ada's lost dog, Pumpkin, as an excuse to initiate contact with the Van Rhijn family.
- Agnes Van Rhijn sees through Bertha's ploy and refuses to let the dog be a "link between both houses."
Peggy's Career Dilemma
- Peggy Scott, a black aspiring writer, navigates racial discrimination while pursuing her career.
- She faces a dilemma between working for a mainstream publication that requires her to hide her identity and a smaller, black-owned newspaper.