The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age. . , The Gilded Age, an era spanning roughly 1870 until 1910, was marked by the technological advancements, urbanization, immigration, rapid economic growth, and an ever-expanding gap between the rich and the poor. Without a federally-imposed income tax, tycoons amassed fortunes that they then spent on grand mansions and luxury items., Providence was no exception, with textile production and jewelry trades transforming the industrial footprint of the city, as well as its populace. Between 1870 and 1900, the city's population swelled by 150%, with immigrants coming primarily from Canada, Italy, and Portugal responding to the need for workers., The Rhode Island State House, an imposing and elegant marble edifice erected between 1895 and 1904, is a monument to the state's economic dominance of the era. An example of American Renaissance architecture, at the time of completion it boasted the third largest self-supported marble dome in the world, exceeded only by St. Peter's Basilica and the Taj Mahal., Another emblem of the Gilded Age's pageantry of the wealth is the John Brown House and its grounds. Purchased by businessman and financier Marsden J. Perry (1850-1935) around 1901, the home property were renovated to reflect the vast wealth of "the man who owned Rhode Island." This included the installation of a library to house Perry's extensive Shakespeare collection, as well as grounds designed by the Olmsted Brothers. Over time, the home became a shrine to Perry's fortune, much like it once displayed that of John Brown., [Captions:] , Rhode Island State House under construction by Norcross Brothers; Providence, RI, ca. 1900. Silver Gelatin photograph. RIHS Collections, Graphics Place File-Providence Buildings., Front of the John Brown House as seen from Power Street. Photograph taken ca. 1905-1912. Image courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Thomas Warren Sears Photograph Collection, 1900-1966 RI002002., Portrait of Marsden J. Perry, (1850-1935), ca. 1930, by John Christen Johansen, RIHS Collections RHI X17 3074