The Queen of Denver by Shelby Carr

Author:Shelby Carr
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2020-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

COLORADO NEWSPAPERS, A LOVE AFFAIR

By positioning herself as a gatekeeper for Denver’s social elite, Louise Hill followed the example of New York’s leading female socialite, Caroline Schermerhorn Astor. New York City quickly turned into the place to be for members of high society during the Gilded Age. As historian Eric Homberger stated, the “tone of social life in New York was shaped by a distinctive passion for aristocracy.”213 Astor threw lavish balls, inviting only individuals of high sophistication and old money, and those who accepted her invitations sought to “occupy a position of enhanced sociability.”214 If an individual’s name was not on the list, they did not have a prayer for having any sort of debut in high society. As it was previously stated, Astor had very strict guidelines for her social events and viewed new money families as—in the words of author Greg King—“uncouth parvenus.”215 Astor orchestrated many events, including grand balls that were held in her own personal ballroom at her home. These balls, which were modeled after those common in British aristocracy, were intended to be occasions where one could socialize, and parents could introduce their daughters into high society.216 It was important for those of great wealth to marry individuals of the same caliber, class and comparable lineage in order to maintain the sense of exclusivity the upper echelons of society were known for. Astor’s exclusive 400 list, so named as four hundred was the capacity of her ballroom, provided the best way for rich New Yorkers to perpetuate the cycle of exclusivity that had been established. Astor’s social gatherings were frequently chronicled in the society pages of New York’s newspapers, including the New York Times. The society pages of the New York Times provided her a platform on which to display the exclusivity of her events.217

There grew a “hunger for information about aristocratic circles” due to the intense fascination of the public consumers with the clothing, actions, betrothals, dissolutions and palatial residences of the American aristocracy.218 The society pages granted the general public a place to satiate their thirst for information, but it also brought about a new requirement for the women of high society with social aspirations: publicity management. Louise Hill took the cue from Astor’s society page features and began a love affair with the society pages of Colorado’s various newspapers on her wedding day that lasted through her dying day. The idea of publicity management, however, lends itself to the line of demarcation between the social careers of Astor and Hill. Hill managed her own public image; she very frequently gave interviews and fostered close, personal relationships with journalists. Astor, on the other hand, never once gave an interview during her societal reign. Hill was also the sole creator and arbiter of her social scene, while Astor had assistance with the 400. A man named Ward McAllister was the one who coined the term “400” (for marketing purposes), and it was McAllister who cultivated relationships with the press of New York City and spoke publicly for Astor and the folks of Fifth Avenue.

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