A World Divided by Class: The Rages and Riches of the Gilded Age

Shelby Godfrey

Welcome to the Gallery

In this exhibit there will be paintings from a period in time known as the Gilded Age. This was a term coined by Mark Twain due to the “golden” aspects of this era. There was extreme growth economically and in population. Life was suppose to be prosperous. However, only the wealthy enjoyed the glory; the lower class was faced with a difficult time. They were forced to work for low wages and live in run down homes. American painters took advantage of this period to produce some of the work you’re about to see. Enjoy!

Thank you for visiting this exhibit. I hope you’ve enjoyed the paintings and have taken away the dramatic difference in the life style of the classes during the

Gilded Age.

All images were found online from the Smithsonian Museum, Chicago

Museum and Cleveland Museum.