HBO’s “The Gilded Age” dramas draw from real life

America’s Gilded Age was a period of unparalleled accumulation of wealth, says Mount Holyoke’s Dan Czitrom — making it the perfect setting for TV drama.

HBO’s new drama series “The Gilded Age” is set in the late 19th century, smack in the middle of the Gilded Age, when “incredible, staggering fortunes” were made, according to Daniel Czitrom, Professor of  History on the Ford Foundation. 

Czitrom, who has written on the era, spoke to about the period and what makes it such a sumptuous setting for television drama. 

“The Gilded Age” is just one of a number of television dramas set in the lavish period.

“[These are] fortunes that really dwarf the kind of money that you have in the old families,” he said.

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