Newport

**Newport** is a seaside town located on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It's located 180 miles (290 km) from New York City. During the mid-19th century, Newport emerged as a popular summer house location for wealthy families. In the 1880's, when *The Gilded Age* takes place, Newport had become the fashionable summer location for New York high society, and many of the wealthy families had their own mansions built there. Newport features on both seasons of the series, as a common leisure and event location.

## Newport

Ward McAllister's party at the Newport Casino

### Type

Town, summer location for the New York elite

## Newport Houses in *The Gilded Age*

### House owners

The following characters' families are revelead to own estate in Newport:

* Mamie Fish
* Mrs. Astor, *Beechwood*, bought in 1881, opened in 1883.
* Archie Baldwin, built around 1882
* Ward McAllister
* Cissie Bingham's mother
* Wetmore family (mentioned), *Chateau-sur-Mer*
* The Russell family, house built around 1853, bought and renovated in 1883
* Susan Blane, lives in Newport year around
* Edward Morgan's parents
* Drexel family (mentioned)
* Aurora and Charles Fane, bought in 1883
* Enid and Joshua Winterton
* Billy Carlton

### Newport houses used for filming

#### The Russells' houses

##### The Russells' Newport house

The mansion featured as the Russell family's Newport house is ***The Elms.*** The Russells' Newport house is said to be built around 1853, but The Elms was finished in 1901. Unlike the Russells's house, The Elms doesn't have an ocean view in real life. The interiors of the house are also at The Elms, but the dining room is in ***Marble House*** in Newport.

###### Real Newport locations used for the Russells' New York house

Main article: The Russell House

The Elms's kitchens are used as the Russells' New York house kitchen. The room used as Gladys Russel's bedroom is **Mrs. Berdwin's** bedroom in The Elms. The red hallway is also in The Elms.

George Russell's New York bedroom is in ***Marble House*** in Newport, and used to belong to **Consuelo Vanderbilt**.  The ballroom is at ***The Breakers***.

Bertha Russell's New York bedroom is a set, but it's inspired by a bedroom in Marble House, which used to belong to **Alva Vanderbilt**, a historical figure who's inspired Bertha's character. The Russells' New York house library is a set, inspired by the one in ***Chateau-Sur-Mer***.

#### Mamie Fish's houses

The house featuring as Mamie Fish's Newport house is called ***The Ledges***. The Fish's real Newport house was ***Crossways***.

The Fish's New York house exterior is ***The Cushing House*** in Newport. The stairway hall in Mamie Fish's New York home is in Chateau-Sur-Mer. As well as the rooms where she was shown to host her doll party in *Heads Have Rolled For Less*.

#### Susan Blane's house

The house featuring as Susan Blane's house is ***Kingscote***.

#### Ward McAllister's house

The house shown as Ward McAllister's house is ***Wrentham House***. In real life, McAllister wasn't known to own a house in Newport, instead he rented smaller cottages there.

#### Mrs. Astor's house

The real life Astors owned ***Beechwood*** in Newport. The house shown as Beechwood's exterior in the show is Chateau-Sur-Mer, it's first floor is in ***Belcourt Castle*** and the kitchen in Marble house.

#### **Other Newport houses used as filming locations**

* John Adams's apartment (where Oscar van Rhijn also seemed to live in season 1) bedroom is in Chateau-Sur-Mer.
* The room shown as Oscar's apartment in *You Don't Even Like Opera* is in Chateau-Sur-Mer.
* Agnes van Rhijn's bedroom is also in Chateau-Sur-Mer.
* Chateau-Sur-Mer's Marble hall serves as the hallway for Union Hotel where the Duke of Buckingham stays in *In Terms of Winning and Losing*.
* Newport ***Colony house*** features as the Red Cross hospital in Charity Has Two Functions.
* ***The Eisenhower house*** at Fort Adams State Park in Newport features as Clara Barton's speech location in *Charity Has Two Functions*.
* Sylvia Chamerblain's house's exterior is ***Rosecliff***.

## Activities

Newport is the fashionable place for New York Society to spend their summer season at different outdoor activities and parties. No business is done there, and the air is more informal.

In season 1, Episode 1, people visiting Newport are playing crocket at the beach of Mamie Fish's house, and later play cinch at her evening party. In episode 8, a tennis match is held at the Newport Casino.

In season 2, the National lawn tennis championship tournament is held at the Casino. The tournament later evolved to be what's now known as Wimbledon Championships. Ward McAllister hosts a large evening party at the Casino, with people waltzing on the lawn.

Both women and men dress in lighter, often nautical-inspired summer wear while they're in Newport. Daytime dresses for women are usually white, with blue, black, red or green accents, and evening dresses are light in colour. As Ward McAllister points out, women would be wearing *flowers and feathers* instead of tiaras for evening parties. Men wear straw boaters or other kind of lighter summer hats during the day.

## Gallery

Ward McAllister's party at the Newport Casino in Some Sort of TrickThe Elms as the Russells' house in Newport in You Don't Even Like Opera.The Ledges as Mamie Fish's house in Newport in Never The New.Kingscote as Susan Blane's House in Some Sort of Trick.Chateau-Sur-Mer as Mrs. Astor's house in Newport in Tucked Up in Newport.Wrentham house as McAllisters' Newport house, in Tucked Up in Newport.
1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 *The Gilded Age*, season 1 episode 1: "Never The New"
2. ↑ *The Gilded Age*, season 2 episode 5: "Close Enough to Touch"
3. ↑ *The Gilded Age*, season 1 episode 3: "Face The Music"
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *The Gilded Age*, season 1 episode 7: "Irresistible Change"
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *The Gilded Age*, season 1 episode 8: "Tucked Up in Newport"
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 *The Gilded Age*, season 2 episode 1: "You Don't Even Like Opera"
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 *The Gilded Age*, season 2 episode 2: "Some Sort of Trick"
8. ↑ *The Gilded Age*, season 2 episode 4: "His Grace the Duke"
9. ↑ *The Gilded Age*, season 2 episode 8: "In Terms of Winning and Losing"
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Newport Mansions: Episode S2E1 deep dive.
11. ↑ Newport Mansions: S2E5 Deep Dive.
12. ↑ Newport Mansions: S2E2 Deep dive.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Newport Mansions: S1E1 Deep dive.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Newport Mansions: S1E2 deep dive.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Newport Mansions: S1E3 deep dive.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Newport Mansions: S1E8 Deep dive.
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Newport Mansions: S1E6 Deep dive.
18. ↑ Newport Mansions: S1E8 Deep Dive.
19. ↑ Newport Mansions: S2E8 Deep Dive.
20. ↑ Newport Mansions: S1E5 Deep dive.
21. ↑ Newport Mansions: S1E7 Deep dive.