March 13, 3:00-4:00 pm
Special Collections Reading Room
Join Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English and Professor of American Studies at Vanderbilt University Cecelia Tichi as she takes us through the many “do’s” and “don’ts” of Mrs. William Astor’s rules of manners in her latest book, What Would Mrs. Astor Do? The Essential Guide to the Manners and Mores of the Gilded Age [New York: NYU Press, 2018]. While we may think of the late 19th century as a simpler time, Tichi shows us that it was anything but simple for those fortunate 400 whom she identified as New York Society. From the shape of their hats to the way they set their tables, the wealthy followed hard rules or risked being snubbed for Mrs. Astor’s annual ball.
For more information, contact Nancy Dwyer.