1. The Practice of Selling Girls for Titles Came to be Viewed as Slavery
Frances Work, who married into nobility against her father’s wishes, became the great-grandmother of Princess Diana. However, her father never got over what she did. In his obituary, he was quoted as having said, “It’s time this international marrying came to a stop for our American girls are ruining our own country by it. As fast as our honorable, hard-working men can earn this money their daughters take it and toss it across the ocean.” Apparently, he wasn’t too happy about being used as a bank account with unlimited funds, or about his daughter marrying a British aristocrat just so she could get a title.
He saw right through the practice, realizing that the British noblemen who were obtaining massive, multi-million-dollar dowries (which could be worth tens, if not hundreds, of millions, in today’s money) so that they could spend it on themselves, often through gambling or expensive vacations. Though the marriages might have been seen as mutually beneficial, ultimately, they were destructive, not only to the individuals who engaged in them but also to the countries that were involved. Americans were shedding money to prop up Britain’s economy, just for status artificially. There had to be a better way for the daughters of the nouveau rich to be accepted.
Where Did We Find This Stuff? Here Are Our Sources:
“The ‘Dollar Princess’ and the Duke.” Christie’s. October 22, 2016.
“Meet the real-life Lady Cora.” The Independent. September 18, 2011.
“Lady Mary Curzon’s Peacock dress.” The National Trust.
“Who the F Is … Arts Patron Winnaretta Singer?” by Trudy Ring. Pride. January 29, 2015.
“When New Money Meets Old Bloodlines: On America’s Gilded Age Dollar Princesses,” by Caroline Weber. Lit Hub.
November 13, 2020