What to do with the Nouveaux Riches?
Obviously, something had to be done. There was a definite hole in British Society, which had once been filled with money. Meanwhile, there existed, as Lady Dorothy Neville phrased it, this "mob of plebeian wealth" (Cannadine, pg. 348) which had both the money and the drive to enter and entertain the upper social caste. Society was stuck in a conundrum: how much did money matter among the "Best?" The issue at hand was not so much pure snobbery, but a definite streak of it. Society counted itself as "the best people," and liked to think of themselves as being made up a wide variety of people, including politicians, artists, musicians, explorers, and intellectuals, as well as the general aristocratic old-money component. This was, for the most part, not true (there were a bunch of politicians, artists, intellectuals and the like, but they were practically all members of Society before they began their somewhat dubious career choice.) Here, however, was the problem: by admitting every new millionaire who wandered through London into their ranks, they would be, in a way, admitting that it was only for the money.

This was perfectly fine with the new millionaires. They had absolutely no notions that they would be liked for their large hearts and witty comments, which was why they were flaunting their pocketbooks around London. It wasn't a problem with the younger, easily-bored members of Society, including the Prince of Wales himself.: Christopher Sykes recalled "All manner of strange, wild millionaires were wandering around London then, and the Prince, perhaps recognizing natural Devil-mates, yearned to make these men his friends."(MacColl, pg. 21) The Prince, and his friends, didn't care where his entertainment came from, just so long as it was entertaining and expensive. (MacColl, pg. 21) "There might as well have been a Goddess of Gold erected for overt worship," (Cannadine, pg. 346) Beatrice Webb complained of modern Society.

The people who had a problem were the staid old Society matrons, led by Queen Victoria herself. They were the ones who ran Society, the ones in charge of everything from the couture to the menus, and most importantly, the invitations. They were the people who made Society everything it was. And these women were not about to let a bunch of brash, unmannered Nouveaux Riches into their comfortable routine. They were, however, about to be faced with a rush of these Nouveaux from the last place that they expected: America.

Next: The American Heiress Trade