The Gilded Age mansions showcase extravagant wealth through marble walls and gilded ceilings while hosting priceless art collections, reflecting the inequality and excess of their time.
The term 'Gilded Age,' coined by Mark Twain, critiques the inequality and corruption that allowed a select few to amass great fortunes while the majority remained in poverty.
Cornelius Vanderbilt II and his wife built The Breakers in 1895. This 70-room summer residence exemplifies the opulence of Gilded Age architecture and lifestyle.
Marble House, completed in 1892, reflects excess with its $11 million construction cost, equivalent to $380 million today, yet many occupants lived there only briefly.
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