The Education of a Snob: Ward McAllister's American Aristocracy

Published: Feb. 15, 2022, 3:09 a.m.

The famous Mrs. Astor was credited with building and shaping the Gilded Age elite. But at her side and combining forces with her to create "the 400" was the controversial Ward McAllister. He was originally a Southerner who himself developed a complex persona as the most socially knowledgeable and refined gentleman of the New York elite. Join me for a look into who Ward McAllister really was, how he developed his famous reputation and what led to his infamous break from the social court of Mrs. Astor.