Could You Have Endured Consuelo Vanderbilt's Upbringing?

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  • čas přidán 17. 12. 2014
  • Tutored in several European languages for hours on end and strapped to a steel rod for posture, Consuelo Vanderbilt's childhood was anything but easy.
    #Vanderbilt #WeddingOfTheCentury #SmithsonianChannel
    From MILLION DOLLAR AMERICAN PRINCESSES: Wedding of the Century bit.ly/1z1IZDQ
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Komentáře • 1,6K

  • @francesvansiclen1444
    @francesvansiclen1444 Před 7 lety +5763

    I would rather be rich and miserable then poor and miserable !

    • @Luboman411
      @Luboman411 Před 7 lety +695

      LOL. Reminds me of one of Mark Twain's best quotes--"The rich are different from you and me. They can buy a better class of misery."

    • @laiatorrent2863
      @laiatorrent2863 Před 7 lety +324

      Frances Van Siclen my father always said "riches wont make you happy, but neither will poverty!"

    • @Jerry-hp5sf
      @Jerry-hp5sf Před 7 lety +255

      Cher said "I've been rich and I've been poor...rich is better".

    • @Spyrika
      @Spyrika Před 7 lety +266

      Money can't buy happiness, but it does buy food and shelter so you can pursue said happiness.

    • @alice0as0strange
      @alice0as0strange Před 6 lety +51

      finally a sensible comment

  • @ashlieneevel2708
    @ashlieneevel2708 Před 8 lety +6768

    I most certainly could endure every bit of her pampered upbringing. The better question is could Consuelo have endured mine?

    • @BreannaMae
      @BreannaMae Před 8 lety +423

      +Ashlie Neevel Being born into money isn't all that it's cracked up to be, I can tell you that based on personal experience. Money and having a pampered upbringing does not equal happiness, especially when you have extremely abrasive and controlling parents.

    • @kokolatte825
      @kokolatte825 Před 8 lety +417

      Yes, the pampering of being strapped to a steel rod for hours while simultaneously attempting to learn a foreign language. Oh, and wonderful weekend lunches on the yard with your mother reciting everything you learned that week. What a pampered existence! Did you even watch the video?

    • @AFAskygoddess
      @AFAskygoddess Před 8 lety +257

      koko...A lot of us had all that bad but none of the good she experienced. Yes, we could endure that kind of upbringing. And yes, we watched the video.

    • @AFAskygoddess
      @AFAskygoddess Před 8 lety +25

      Lara, you are incorrectly assuming that I haven't been able to create wealth ON MY OWN.I have..

    • @BreannaMae
      @BreannaMae Před 7 lety +157

      Do you know what it's like to be the youngest child born into a wealthy family? It's true that you're extremely spoiled, with literally everything being handed to you on silver platter; I certainly was. I always had nice clothing and toys, and for my 16th birthday my parents bought me a new car (they did the same when I turned 21). However, despite all of that, there's a dark side to coming from a wealthy family that this video describes.
      There's very little freedom to do what you want. It's to the point where you feel as if you're in a prison. My parents never allowed me to go to sleepovers, parties (even simple birthday parties), or hang with my friends whenever they called. They were controlling and overly-protective. As a teenager, if my parents didn't like the person I was dating, it ended very quickly. My siblings and I were forced to keep absolutely everything that happened in our family a secret. We couldn't speak about anything, even family vacations. Because we lived in a very large house (Victorian mansion, more specifically) that was considered the largest house in town, we were always the center of attention. We couldn't do anything without everyone whispering about it, and my family was very much apart of the so-called "rumor mill". If I had my friends over, they were given instructions on how to handle themselves. Friends were expected to have a certain amount of decorum while in the house due to my parents having expensive decor all over. Some of the rooms were even gated off and only adults could be in them. We always sat down and ate dinner together and were not allowed to speak until my parents were finished talking about their day. So yes I came from a family with privilege, but that doesn't mean it's all happy and fantastic. My parents today are just as controlling as they were when I was growing up.

  • @AidanTheLoverBoyOhDwyer
    @AidanTheLoverBoyOhDwyer Před 8 lety +3241

    THE wig on that kid though. Resembles closer to Rasputin than an aristocrat.

    • @jxsilicon9
      @jxsilicon9 Před 7 lety +6

      Aidan The Lover Boy O'Dwyer
      LOL!

    • @lanavarmatos8096
      @lanavarmatos8096 Před 7 lety +5

      Aidan The Lover Boy O'Dwyer LMAO

    • @chiefbogo3282
      @chiefbogo3282 Před 6 lety +28

      Why ya gotta come after her wig like that 😂😂

    • @teleopinions1367
      @teleopinions1367 Před 6 lety +14

      Low budget documentary. Now, if she was Halle Berry, she would've asked for a $5000 human hair wig. So, I've heard.

    • @tadd8210
      @tadd8210 Před 6 lety +3

      Aidan The Lover Boy O'Dwyer: Behave..LOL

  • @niajones992
    @niajones992 Před 5 lety +3251

    Why y’all put that ragtag wig on that child’s head? 😩

    • @taotaostrong
      @taotaostrong Před 5 lety +140

      Girl! I screamed when I saw it! 😂😂😂😂😂🤦🏾‍♀️

    • @giot8067
      @giot8067 Před 5 lety +101

      The couldn’t even brush it or anything
      That’s a total shake and go wig straight out of the bag from party city 😂😂

    • @johnw2026
      @johnw2026 Před 5 lety +28

      I want that wig...i'll put it on the end of a stick and mop my hardwood floors with it! :-D

    • @lildolce.1425
      @lildolce.1425 Před 5 lety

      Nia Jones 😂

    • @partypoison219
      @partypoison219 Před 4 lety +1

      Nia Jones that part

  • @f.michaelbremer-cruz2708
    @f.michaelbremer-cruz2708 Před 3 lety +183

    The thing that I noticed most was this: not a single member of that family seemed remotely contented by their fabulous wealth. All that money and the only thing Mrs. Vanderbilt cared about was that her daughter could become a Duchess. They had everything most people then could have ever wished for, but it was never quite enough, it seems.

    • @aslater5
      @aslater5 Před 2 lety +10

      NONE of them. And I’ve read several books about the Vanderbilts. Even Gloria Vanderbilt was miserable and that was the end of the money. Too much money causes problems.

    • @Sunny25611
      @Sunny25611 Před 2 lety +2

      And a broke Duke at that.

    • @nonienandya6585
      @nonienandya6585 Před 7 měsíci +2

      Today is instagram, tiktoks, all abt social media that can validate you. But in the past, social class /status was. Money can't grant you into certain circle, that's why they obsessed with royalty titles.

    • @pwp8737
      @pwp8737 Před 6 měsíci +1

      @@aslater5 well, they solved that problem by pissing away their fortunes. Apparently no one ever told them of perpetual trusts.

  • @ladydeath6199
    @ladydeath6199 Před 4 lety +1155

    A prison is a prison no matter how pretty the walls are

    • @YPeezy
      @YPeezy Před 4 lety +19

      Oh shut up

    • @emmarose4234
      @emmarose4234 Před 4 lety +27

      Things like this are why the phrase “gilded cage” was invented.

    • @morningsong8077
      @morningsong8077 Před 3 lety +3

      So, so true!

    • @emmaphilo4049
      @emmaphilo4049 Před 3 lety +19

      And there is the prison of poverty too. It's horrible. Childhood poverty....

    • @AllisonChains64
      @AllisonChains64 Před 3 lety +15

      People that say that have obviously never lived true poverty.

  • @daniellediller5070
    @daniellediller5070 Před 5 lety +375

    Abuse is abuse I'd rather be poor and in a loving home than rich and treated like an asset

    • @professorrosenstock5026
      @professorrosenstock5026 Před 5 lety +17

      Like I say its possible to be happy in a tenant building and miserable in a mansion.

    • @oksanakoontz8400
      @oksanakoontz8400 Před 4 lety +7

      danielle diller I was in a home like this but my folks weren’t quite as rich. My mother wanted me to live out her life too. I grew up in a well off neighborhood but was very unhappy

    • @daniellediller5070
      @daniellediller5070 Před 4 lety +12

      @@oksanakoontz8400 that's sad I hope your free and happier now and are loved as you deserve to

    • @daniellediller5070
      @daniellediller5070 Před 3 lety +3

      @JustJ WhoIsAsking no I don't actually I myself grew up in a poorer family and was abused and the thought that people using money as just another way to control their kids makes me glad we really didn't have any.

    • @anthyavila9726
      @anthyavila9726 Před 3 lety +3

      LOL, I'd rather be rich and miserable than the regular kind of poor. Poor and happy is a LOT rarer than you think.

  •  Před 7 lety +1270

    Rich or not I'm thinking this girl was a prisoner enduring the rich form of child abuse. Poor girl would rather have lived elsewhere I guarantee it

    • @rhon715
      @rhon715 Před 7 lety +108

      Chica 411 Exactly. The pic of her with her brothers and her mother, shows very unhappy expressions on the kids faces. So many people commenting here are so negative because they are jealous of the wealth she grew up in. It is sad and pathetic when they will deliberately overlook the abuse because they are angry that her family. over a hundred years ago or so, had a rich lifestyle and use that as a reason to bash her, a CHILD. These commenters need to do some serious self examination and stop acting like martyrs and feeling sorry for themselves. The green monster is driving them.

    • @CroixdeLorraine
      @CroixdeLorraine Před 6 lety +11

      rhon715 I couldn't agree with you more!! I admire wealthy people for being who they are and what they've accomplished in their lives, not to mention the fact that a lot of wealthy people donate to charities, a fact which people conveniently forget when they bash wealthy people out of jealousy!!

    • @pragmatic7green
      @pragmatic7green Před 6 lety

      Chica 411 😢😥💔😥😢😥😢

    • @ruqiaatta4748
      @ruqiaatta4748 Před 6 lety +1

      .

    • @JixieDyeAuthor
      @JixieDyeAuthor Před 5 lety +9

      She would probably rather live somewhere else I agree but it's not always that simple. Sometimes you get so hooked by the security and luxury of wealth that you endure abuse time and time again because you're too afraid of what would happen if you didn't.

  • @laurenconrad1799
    @laurenconrad1799 Před 3 lety +174

    Poverty sucks and abuse sucks. Whether you’re fearing a lack of food or the wrath of a brutally oppressive mother, neither is easy to live with. Kind of hard to say that one is necessarily worse than the other.

    • @emmaphilo4049
      @emmaphilo4049 Před 3 lety +9

      If only they could be separate like they are in the comparison in your comment. Sometimes poverty AND abuse are combined😱😱😱😱

    • @angelsparkles3575
      @angelsparkles3575 Před 3 lety +2

      Emma Philomena Omg you know what she means 🙄 shut up

  • @lindawatkin4411
    @lindawatkin4411 Před 7 lety +1832

    Pampered life?..She had a domineering,abusive mother who forced her into a loveless marriage with a poor duke.

    • @agustasister5624
      @agustasister5624 Před 6 lety +43

      Linda Watkin like that doesnt happen RIGHT NOW...AND UNDER MUCH WORSE CONDTIONS...WAKE UP...

    • @gripitl6878
      @gripitl6878 Před 5 lety +10

      Ber P. How pleasant you are.

    • @PockyNinja8
      @PockyNinja8 Před 5 lety +17

      Agusta Sister that doesn’t take away from the fact that her situation wasn’t great. of course there’s going to be someone who has it worse than you.

    • @pickingwilddaisies945
      @pickingwilddaisies945 Před 5 lety +18

      She never had an actual job or had to earn her own money... that is a pampered life.

    • @jasontoddsthighholsters4168
      @jasontoddsthighholsters4168 Před 4 lety +15

      Imagine being starving with several other siblings with barely any roof over ur head, while not getting proper education, and regular hygiene.

  • @NelsonClick
    @NelsonClick Před 5 lety +31

    I have Consuelos autobiography and have read it twice. It's a fun and pleasant read. She's incredibly well mannered in her literary voice and in detailed control of her mind. That comes through clearly in the book. She respects her audience by coherently including stories that would be interesting to read. She does not come off as snobby and you find yourself rooting for her.

    • @kubuligal2431
      @kubuligal2431 Před 3 lety +2

      What's the name of the book? Thanks

    • @NelsonClick
      @NelsonClick Před 3 lety +1

      @@kubuligal2431 Look it up by her name: Consuelo Balsan. She had remarried when she wrote it.

    • @kubuligal2431
      @kubuligal2431 Před 3 lety +2

      @@NelsonClick Thank you.

  • @missJazzitup99
    @missJazzitup99 Před 7 lety +1618

    I read that she was forced to marry a man she didn't love so her mother could move up in society. On her wedding day they had to use a lot of make up and cover her face with a veil to hide the fact that she had been crying. Consuelo reminds me of Rose, from Titanic.

    • @kaliah209
      @kaliah209 Před 7 lety +6

      soundmixer yes good point there

    • @bighands69
      @bighands69 Před 6 lety +7

      Believe that and you will believe anything.

    • @mnething17
      @mnething17 Před 6 lety +65

      soundmixer It was said that Alva locked her in a room days before her wedding because Consuelo didn’t want to marry the Duke of Marlborough.

    • @Richardsonprincess00
      @Richardsonprincess00 Před 6 lety +43

      I felt sorry for Consuelo that she ended up being trapped by her mother, Alva that she only cares for the social climbing of staying in. Alva just reminds me of Ruth (social status climber) from Titanic (movie)

    • @ktgbw
      @ktgbw Před 6 lety +48

      I wouldn't be surprised that James Cameron used the Vanderbilts as inspiration to Ruth and Rose.

  • @bunnylemon7785
    @bunnylemon7785 Před 5 lety +580

    can we just talk about the fact that they never called her educated, or said anyone taught her anything. it was always that she was ‘well trained’ like a dog.

    • @sophiehanna2069
      @sophiehanna2069 Před 5 lety +32

      And dont forget they called her "well bred"

    • @cherish78748
      @cherish78748 Před 4 lety +8

      Yep, even the term "well-bred" like an animal 😩

    • @maverickbull1909
      @maverickbull1909 Před 4 lety +7

      Oliver Elijah they did say she well educated...

    • @corywiedenbeck1562
      @corywiedenbeck1562 Před 4 lety

      Look at how you people think, GET OFF THE INTERNET FOR 1 WEEK AND WATCH YOUR ATTITUDES AND LIFE CHANGE

    • @TheMomocurry
      @TheMomocurry Před 4 lety +1

      They said "well bred" too

  • @user-pv7nf3gu8u
    @user-pv7nf3gu8u Před 5 lety +185

    "Well-bred, well-trained..." Are we still talking about a person?

    • @emmarose4234
      @emmarose4234 Před 4 lety

      0 5, your avatar is so cute!

    • @taffykins2745
      @taffykins2745 Před 3 lety +5

      It's a figure of speech. It's a little old fashioned.

  • @WWZenaDo
    @WWZenaDo Před 9 lety +1447

    I am astounded that one interviewee disparagingly refers to Consuelo's passing of the entrance papers to both Oxford & Cambridge Universities with "flying colors" as indicating that she was "extremely well-trained".
    It sounds like Consuelo had a brilliant mind. Pity it was wasted upon becoming a decorative wife for a clueless British aristocrat.

    • @bdavis8397
      @bdavis8397 Před 7 lety +76

      WWZenaDo Women were not expected to be be educated. They advanced by marrying well and she did. Her money bought her a title and her brain allowed her to achieve status and power.

    • @gidzmobug2323
      @gidzmobug2323 Před 7 lety +16

      B Davis Probably the education would be in music, some languages, and social graces.

    • @Luboman411
      @Luboman411 Před 7 lety +75

      Consuelo wasn't just a "decorative wife" to a British aristocrat. He actually married DOWN so she certainly wasn't "decorative" to him. But he married her for her money since this British aristocrat's family was dead broke. And you can't upkeep a bunch of beautiful, enormous English country houses and live in a grand style if you're dead broke...

    • @bdavis8397
      @bdavis8397 Před 7 lety +46

      Her mother wanted her to have a title. The English Gentry were being taxed out of their great estates. She had money and he had the title.

    • @mohashetty6557
      @mohashetty6557 Před 7 lety +39

      WWZenaDo So she wasn't decorative, instead she was just a fat paycheck?

  • @nans969
    @nans969 Před 3 lety +162

    Alva is equivalent to a modern pageant mom.

  • @FallnAngel07
    @FallnAngel07 Před 5 lety +130

    She may have been American royalty but was being treated like an animal. She was wealthy but the physical and emotional pain she must have suffered at Mom's hands is disheartening.

  • @fool4singing
    @fool4singing Před 6 lety +142

    Alva didn't want a daughter; she wanted a prized show horse. Kind of sad...

  • @joanhamilton2651
    @joanhamilton2651 Před 3 lety +56

    What a horrible abusive childhood. Sad she was never able to experience being a child with her own thoughts.

  • @twaght
    @twaght Před 6 lety +605

    Okay but can we talk abt that wig they put on that little girl though

    • @eaqua56
      @eaqua56 Před 5 lety +15

      Right? Like they couldn’t find girl who is a brunette lol.

    • @alysmari3956
      @alysmari3956 Před 5 lety +12

      It was indeed a hideous mop.

    • @cristaniancatembung1160
      @cristaniancatembung1160 Před 5 lety +7

      One that we can expect from the smithsonian.

  • @orbs1062
    @orbs1062 Před 3 lety +27

    I certainly wouldn't wanna slip down those marble stairs.

    • @gibsongirl2100
      @gibsongirl2100 Před 3 lety +1

      That's so funny - every time I see marble floors or staircases (aside from, "yikes - too much!") that's the first thing I think of.

  • @mickey7460
    @mickey7460 Před 5 lety +8

    Wow, living in the New England area, I have visited the Marble House and several others in the gorgeous Newport, RI coast line many times in the past and have brought my own children here. I remember always being quite impressed and marveling at the classic architecture, design and opulent decor of those days. I often wondered what it was actually like to be in a society such as this. My own suspicions are now reconfirmed. During the tours, that I took, of this particular mansion, never, was a negative word spoken of them, however, the narratives implied heavily that there was a more deeper, darker side to the stories told of the Vanderbilt’s than was actually presented. This is a great video, it really puts things in perspective for when I reflect back on my experiences there. The next time I visit Marble house will be with eyes wide open. Thank you so much for this detailed video. I have always admired the style of the Vanderbilts and that era in general. It is a unique and meaningful experience for me to learn so much of their lifestyles. Well done 😊

  • @susanfalconedaquino3623
    @susanfalconedaquino3623 Před 3 lety +5

    I've been to The Marble House in Newport, RI many, many times. Just gorgeous.

  • @TexasLadyS
    @TexasLadyS Před 3 lety +54

    Poor Consuelo! She ended up being married off at 19 to the 9th Duke of Marlborough, who didn’t care about anything but her money and most of their marriage was spent living apart. The marriage was finally annulled in 1926 and Consuelo went on to marry a French author and found happiness. I wouldn’t trade my life for hers for any amount of money. Unless Alva got killed off as part of the deal! That woman was an absolute horror!

    • @fan2jnrc
      @fan2jnrc Před 3 lety +6

      Not a French author. A French aviator.

    • @susanarsoniadou3588
      @susanarsoniadou3588 Před 3 lety +6

      A DUKE...Many royals are penniless but they have a title. . They think a title is enough..All they have to do is marry a sucker... But these marriages can be unsafe. Look at what happened to Sunny Von Bulow..

    • @janavarrette9206
      @janavarrette9206 Před rokem +2

      Thank god her second marriage was happy and genuine

  • @Alina-rd8ub
    @Alina-rd8ub Před 6 lety +99

    money doesn't solve all problems.. mentally unhealthy parents that are rich can still mentally abuse their children. It's just not as obvious because of how glamorous and perfect everything looks on the outside.

  • @laurajimenez7878
    @laurajimenez7878 Před 3 lety +26

    Everyone in the comments is saying they could’ve endured her upbringing because she was a rich kid. This wasn’t a spoiled kid who got a smart phone by 10 and had access to her parents money to come and go as she pleased like a Gossip Girl episode. It seems she had no freedom to do anything and would never escape that life. I’d rather be poor with some freedom to be whoever I want to be.

    • @yoursubconscious
      @yoursubconscious Před 3 lety

      with all do respect, I agree with you. on the other hand, the times were different, after all. just look at the richest kids in wealthy families today.

    • @laurajimenez7878
      @laurajimenez7878 Před 3 lety +3

      @@yoursubconscious exactly. This girl doesn’t seem like she had any freedom or happiness

  • @scottibrown3274
    @scottibrown3274 Před 5 lety +17

    I remember reading how at her wedding, Consuelo was crying because she didn’t want to marry the Duke of Marlborough, but Alva made her

  • @sailorarwen6101
    @sailorarwen6101 Před 6 lety +4

    I love the Newport mansions so much. I’ve been a dozen times. It never gets old and is the best day trip.

  • @christopherd.7421
    @christopherd.7421 Před 8 lety +882

    Wheres the rest it was just getting good.

    • @AuChoco
      @AuChoco Před 7 lety +61

      jessica belin Of course she does. Death is inevitable, even for the richest of people.

    • @SuperJajaco
      @SuperJajaco Před 6 lety +25

      Christopher D. ..she became duchess of Marlborough

    • @dsatt57
      @dsatt57 Před 6 lety +39

      Jan Jacobsen it was a loveless marriage that she was coerced into and ended in divorce. She did remarry later and was quite happy.

    • @ilovebeinagirl
      @ilovebeinagirl Před 6 lety +61

      In the end one of her descendants becomes a host on CNN....

    • @dimatadore
      @dimatadore Před 6 lety +13

      I think the full episodes are on their paying services *crying

  • @queensrule4450
    @queensrule4450 Před 3 lety +3

    Why on earth did these viewers dislike this? It is historical commentary.

  • @duckydae
    @duckydae Před 5 lety +21

    I find it so ironic, considering he Alva fought for women’s rights and suffrage. Yet, forced her daughter to endure all that.

  • @maryblooms4599
    @maryblooms4599 Před 3 lety +9

    What is really astonishing is that if someone like the Vanderbilts saw the ease even a very low middle class American family lived in they would be astonished. They wouldn’t need servants as they could see we have these fancy machines to instantly cook for us, machines that clean our clothes, clothes that were easy to wear, places to buy everything you could possibly want in ONE building, a magic machine to get you there, entertainment in your home etc. They would think this modest family was rich beyond measure. It is merely a persons point of view.

  • @wholeNwon
    @wholeNwon Před 8 lety +37

    She wrote "The Glitter and the Gold" which contains many really interesting historic tidbits.

    • @evearcana2392
      @evearcana2392 Před 5 lety +2

      wholeNwon Like what?

    • @evearcana2392
      @evearcana2392 Před 5 lety +2

      Paula Johnson like what? Give examples please, I’m fascinated!

  • @territ.5357
    @territ.5357 Před 3 lety +10

    Gosh! I came from a middle class upbringing. My parents were financially very comfortable. I wouldn't change my childhood for nothing. I thought the bain of my existence was washing dishes because my parents built a home with no dishwasher and having to read five books a week or writing book reports in the summer and literally reading the 2 sets of encyclopedias and reading the dictionary. At least my sister and I had a fun and loving childhood. Po consuela.

  • @pennywayne1531
    @pennywayne1531 Před 6 lety +167

    Alva was a narcissist. Not content to live her own life, but her daughter's as well. Those kids do not look happy.

  • @c._.alanna9014
    @c._.alanna9014 Před 3 lety +2

    3:19 the phrase “exceptionally well bred young woman” is unsettling and it’s even more unsettling that there are a lot of people who still think this way

  • @carterbentonjr399
    @carterbentonjr399 Před 3 lety +18

    As they said if the U.S. was a monarchy then the Vanderbilts would've been the reigning family and Conselou as princess royal.

  • @FanVidder72
    @FanVidder72 Před 3 lety +5

    I have been to The Breakers, another mansion owned by the Vanderbilts, on a tour in 1990. It has the most amazing view from the balcony of the Atlantic.

  • @CelticSparrows
    @CelticSparrows Před 5 lety +40

    I had a very strict, rigid upbringing. I had to refer to my parents as “sir” and “ma’am”. I had to get up at 5:30 seven days a week to take care of farm animals and clean horse stalls.
    After school, I had to do it again, then again before bed. I had to babysit my younger brother for 8 hours a day during the summers and I had to clean the house every single day.
    I wanted a phone in my room at age 11 so I had to low crawl under the length of the house (80 ft) to run the phone wires and feed them up through my floor. I was never given an allowance and I was expected to maintain my A average in school. For even minor infractions, I was whipped with a belt until I was 17.
    I joined the military at age 18 to get a break!

    • @bbblueblush9860
      @bbblueblush9860 Před 5 lety +5

      Courage... When hard times come, keep faith with God.

    • @CelticSparrows
      @CelticSparrows Před 5 lety +5

      BRANDY BRENT BB blue blush my life has been about 90% hard times. I pray unceasingly to get through it🙂

    • @casrifay
      @casrifay Před 5 lety +9

      I hope you are living a better and easier life now

    • @jjh1899
      @jjh1899 Před 4 lety

      Kelly do u still talk to your parents?

    • @ertfgghhhh
      @ertfgghhhh Před 4 lety +3

      Sorry. According to what u have said. Dont see abuse but extreme discipline that u hated. U even had ur own phone. U lived a rural life in which u had to help out in the family business. U got up early. U were disciplined for offenses. Ur parents loved u. They taught u discipline, hard work, and responsibility. Im sure u are the better for it.

  • @dlkm0309
    @dlkm0309 Před 5 lety +235

    The narrator sounds like Cora from Downton Abbey.
    Edit: Oh wait... It is her. 😅

    • @marleneg7794
      @marleneg7794 Před 5 lety +8

      Elizabeth McGovern.

    • @irishrose90
      @irishrose90 Před 5 lety +5

      I was about to comment the same thing before I realised 😅

    • @ambern221
      @ambern221 Před 5 lety +2

      I knew it! 🤗

  • @tommykamentz3427
    @tommykamentz3427 Před 8 lety +26

    The Breakers was also a summer cottage of the Vanderbuilts. It was built in Newport as well as Marble House.

    • @BeardedBA4Real
      @BeardedBA4Real Před 4 lety +2

      I grew up just a few towns away from Newport, practically next to the Colt Mansion in downtown Bristol. Toured the mansions in Newport frequently, even played trumpet in the rotunda of one mansion owned by Salve Regina University. Loving history, degreed in it, this part of my childhood got my love of architecture.

  • @zoefang4563
    @zoefang4563 Před 5 lety +34

    Poor Consuelo. Her upbringing was TORTURE. I doubt y'all could have survived it or survived a mother like Alva. I thought MY father was stern and he was---the sternest man alive. Yet this was nothing compared to Consuelo's.

    • @emmarose4234
      @emmarose4234 Před 4 lety +2

      I remember reading about her, Winthrop Rutherfurd, and the Duke of Marlborough in some American Girl book ages ago. I was a wee one at the time. (Young enough to fit into that hideous Halloween store wig. 😅)
      I wish I could have given Consuelo a big hug. 😢

  • @donato286
    @donato286 Před 3 lety +5

    A perfect depiction of familial narcissism. You're not allowed to be yourself at all, we fully mould you and control your upbringing, because it has to be a certain way we need it to be in order to achieve our goals.
    Consuelo was trained in everything except in how to be her own self.
    If we're going to talk in social classes, the healthiest place to be is middle class. Poverty can be good. I started there and I'm comfortably in the lower middle class zone.
    Poverty can be toxic too for some people. It can be exceptionally traumatizing and it can create narcissists/sociopaths who look up to the rich. In order to get from poor to rich in a single lifetime, you cannot be an averagely good person. You have to be bad (narcissist) or evil (malignant narcissist and sociopath). In rare cases you could be some kind of a wonder child/person of modest origins who may invent something, but a lot of times you wouldn't care much about becoming filthy rich.
    Rich circles have always had more toxic (bad and evil) individuals who may have the power, but their hunger for more power is insatiable. They got their money through power fights, intrigue and generally some bad deeds that may have hurt other people (at least financially, mentally) and they continue to do so in their pursuit of even more power. In more sinister cases, the toxic individuals may have hurt people physically as they ascended to power.
    Consuelo was one of the victims of emotional, mental and physical abuse (yes, strapping your child to a steel cross is physical abuse) of her overambitious (toxically ambitious) parents who wanted more power on top of what they already got with the money they earned.
    Living in a mansion without much meaningful human contact and warmth compares to solitary confinement in prison. Marble just looks better than the prison walls.

    • @cynthiacopland8634
      @cynthiacopland8634 Před 3 lety +1

      True

    • @ladybrandy91
      @ladybrandy91 Před 2 lety +1

      Alva and William Vanderbilt were abusers plain and simple .
      They treated their daughter like an object not a human with feelings

  • @SmithsonianChannel
    @SmithsonianChannel  Před 3 lety +10

    If you're fascinated by the Gilded Age, take an aerial tour of the Biltmore Estate, the Vanderbilt's "country home" and also the largest private residence in America: czcams.com/video/MwFXb_iCdm8/video.html
    You can also enjoy this fascinating look at the daily life of an American Aristocrat as Julie Montagu, Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, explores Inveraray Castle, showing us what it takes to keep a great estate running today: czcams.com/video/x7pxnRBv1gc/video.html

  • @shobamacintyre6856
    @shobamacintyre6856 Před 7 lety +173

    all the kids look sad in the painting

    • @Celine-dd8nx
      @Celine-dd8nx Před 6 lety +17

      That's just how they took photos then. Hiring a photographer to haul the bulky camera apparatus and click 1-2 pictures was considered a whole event in those days. Since it was so formal, no one was encouraged to smile.

    • @agustasister5624
      @agustasister5624 Před 6 lety +11

      Shoba Macintyre they also had to sit or stand forever for photos ...they were not snap shots until much later....for a reason.

    • @nancyguzman8756
      @nancyguzman8756 Před 6 lety +4

      Smiling wasn’t the custom then.

    • @sagiliciouslooshish4991
      @sagiliciouslooshish4991 Před 6 lety

      That is what I was saying!

    • @carmcam1
      @carmcam1 Před 5 lety +3

      I think nobody could freeze a smile for is long, so neutral face is easier to shoot for both the subject and the photographer for a nice picture at first shot.

  • @eyerishroses
    @eyerishroses Před 7 lety +41

    The back rod she had to wear, reminds me of the back brace. I had to wear 24/7 for my back. The scoliosis milwaukee brace.

    • @ceeeemdeedees7496
      @ceeeemdeedees7496 Před 7 lety +5

      Milwaukee brace was worse. The girdle was so painful. Horrible contraption. 2years in that thing.

    • @shadrach6299
      @shadrach6299 Před 7 lety +5

      CeeEemDee Dees Glad you are out of it.

  • @anoukroelofs9920
    @anoukroelofs9920 Před 3 lety +11

    Why do people need to have a competition about who had the worst life and which situation is the worst...

  • @DerWhimsy
    @DerWhimsy Před 6 lety +3

    I have read several books pertaining to the lives & characters of Alva & Consuelo. Though not my field, I find this mini-docu accurate, which is the best thing history can attain, Bravo, Smithsonian again!!!

  • @njhawk89
    @njhawk89 Před 6 lety +5

    This amazing story is told in the book "Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt"

  • @taotaostrong
    @taotaostrong Před 5 lety +10

    I’m getting Mommie Dearest vibes from Alva.

  • @kelly2fly
    @kelly2fly Před 5 lety +8

    I was so into the history that when the clip ended I thought "Where is the rest of it? I need to know what happened next!!!"

    • @lorrainemudd5022
      @lorrainemudd5022 Před 3 lety

      She got a divorce had several children.her father gave the 5 million

  • @user-mj8nf2vp7q
    @user-mj8nf2vp7q Před 3 lety +2

    Elizabeth Mcgovern has a great narrative voice.

  • @danielmcintyre
    @danielmcintyre Před 5 lety +4

    just visited this "cottage" and it really is beautiful

  • @evecrabapple8413
    @evecrabapple8413 Před 3 lety +3

    2:59 ok but why does she look like she’s about to burst out laughing?

    • @ladybrandy91
      @ladybrandy91 Před 3 lety

      I think she is meant to be about to cry I mean a rod strapped to your back has got to hurt

  • @inezneal7258
    @inezneal7258 Před 5 lety +1

    To me it's all about friends and having a childhood meant for kids.

  • @tiffanysanchez9184
    @tiffanysanchez9184 Před 4 lety +4

    She was stunning I would that I were that beautiful.... I just read a book called To Marry And English Lord and it talks about Consuelo and all the American Heiresses who married into the British Aristocracy... it’s a great read I highly recommend it. ❤️

  • @rayvenwilson
    @rayvenwilson Před 7 lety +101

    Though the control on her daughters upbringing is quite despairing, I do admire Consuelo's mother for aspiring a bit more for her daughter. Not just a rich mans wife, but a Duchess. Someone who actually has influence among society,

    • @azabujuban-hito8085
      @azabujuban-hito8085 Před 6 lety +6

      mrpetersonandsnappyturtle who cares

    • @lauries383
      @lauries383 Před 6 lety +13

      Rayven Wilson but at what cost?

    • @charlieq6083
      @charlieq6083 Před 6 lety +4

      Maybe_ but the way she went about it was terrible

    • @Indiegirl007
      @Indiegirl007 Před 5 lety +4

      This is at a time where a Duchy wasn't as......amazing as it used to be. It was mostly the name you got. I wouldn't trade my entire life for a name.

  • @Unberable
    @Unberable Před 3 lety +14

    That Party City wig makes the girl look like she's from The Ring

  • @christinafeulner3602
    @christinafeulner3602 Před 5 lety +2

    She lived to tell, so she endured it. Not every child could say the same. Literally.

  • @jenniferndrio9641
    @jenniferndrio9641 Před 5 lety +2

    The fast paced classical piece in the beginning is Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, “Italian”

  • @dim9753
    @dim9753 Před 5 lety +48

    I'd be down for trying that steel rod situation. My poor posture gives me sooooo many back issues.

    • @chrisw8627
      @chrisw8627 Před 4 lety +1

      Day M my mom was from England, I went to finishing school as a child, to learn how to be a lady lol anyway, my mom use to tie my arms behind my back in the “crossed” position, I hated it then, but it’s funny I find myself slouching I cross my arms behind my back, or if I’m just standing around I subconsciously cross my arms behind my back lol a lot of people arnt even able to do it, I did it for hours, daily, as a child and find a weird comfort in it now lol although I never forced my daughters to cross their arms behind their back so I could tie them up lol

    • @stephanieleblond3495
      @stephanieleblond3495 Před 4 lety +1

      I looked at it and i kind of wanted that torture device for myself it seemed so relieving for back pain

  • @Belle8kins
    @Belle8kins Před 6 lety +11

    Really that’s it? 4:30 mins. My curiosity about Consuelo will now make me find a 2 hour documentary about her! 😑

  • @DeidresStuff
    @DeidresStuff Před 4 lety +6

    I'm quiet happy with having been raised as a normal person.

  • @devinpetersen2387
    @devinpetersen2387 Před 5 lety +1

    i taught myself such manners growing up. However having to go to a horrible school I was forced to sit up in the most painful chair ever. On top of that being physically assaulted by a teacher.

  • @thymeandtenderness
    @thymeandtenderness Před 4 lety +7

    I would love to see a movie made about the life stories of Alva and Consuelo. I’m no actress, but I think the opportunity to play a character such as Alva or Consuelo would be quite compelling and exciting.

  • @Momma_AL
    @Momma_AL Před 5 lety +54

    No thanks. Not worth losing my soul for.

    • @sharoncromer1910
      @sharoncromer1910 Před 3 lety +3

      The child's soul wasn't strong enough to overcome her fears and run away or just say no. The mom made sure she started the abuse early. The child was never taught how to be confident and I'm sure she was punished if she did. What an awful life.

  • @LeviathanSpeaks1469
    @LeviathanSpeaks1469 Před 3 lety +3

    My question is why Mr. Vanderbilt never stepped in whenever Alva was getting out of hand with poor little Consuelo 😐

  • @jrgnc1
    @jrgnc1 Před 3 lety +35

    What a horrible mother! Treated her daughter like a commodity to the highest bidder all for an aristocratic title while living vicariously through her.

    • @jcaylalove8713
      @jcaylalove8713 Před 3 lety

      They all did. It was normal, unfortunately.

    • @littlemama3957
      @littlemama3957 Před 3 lety

      Yes..that is what they do..it's all about the money

  • @rachelgarber1423
    @rachelgarber1423 Před 5 lety +14

    What a sad life, her husband only married her for her money, and she was totally disrespected by the servants

  • @esmediamond
    @esmediamond Před 3 lety +4

    Can everyone endure this? Absolutely! When you are poor, you can dream and hope for better. When you’re rich and miserable, and have everything, what can you hope for? Nothing.

  • @poisonedscotch8738
    @poisonedscotch8738 Před 3 lety +1

    I’ve toured this house many times. It’s insane.

  • @Jylart
    @Jylart Před 3 lety +16

    I'm guessing the wig budget for this was about five dollars?!

    • @Jylart
      @Jylart Před 3 lety

      @Thing That Reads A Lot You're Hilarious!!🤣

    • @justabigchicken1466
      @justabigchicken1466 Před 3 lety

      @@Jylart The young actress who played young Consuela said her hair was dark; she left a comment higher up.

  • @carolberwindscheffler2708

    My family were friends my grandfather had a home near theirs. He had coal mines called a coal Barron. I was adopted then abandoned when they divorced. Totally brutal people. I had to go through excruciating training as well.

  • @williamsecor7745
    @williamsecor7745 Před 5 lety +3

    If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as to these women I am blind.

  • @DalV
    @DalV Před 7 lety +2

    Wonderful documentary, thank you for posting.

  • @tired_of_u_ppl7985
    @tired_of_u_ppl7985 Před 3 lety +2

    No matter if rich or poor the abuse of children is one of the saddest things that can happen to anyone

  • @thegrumpyhorticulturist
    @thegrumpyhorticulturist Před 3 lety +5

    They literally said tutored her in school and trained in etiquette. You guys need to calm down because yes, behaviors are trained.

  • @mastermonarch
    @mastermonarch Před 5 lety +88

    The Vanderbilt's are broke today and their houses are either lost to history or museums like Marble or Biltmore house ..

  • @jenniferthom4066
    @jenniferthom4066 Před 5 lety +3

    I can tell you....having the pressure " what will everyone think" ..is inner torture...a B+ in high school was not good enough and in college..B&C grades were classes to be taken over to improve gpa! Going out with friends only one night per weekend...i worked most weekend nights getting done at 9 or 10...but had to be home by midnight. Sunday early church because i worked brunch 10-2...and rest of afternoon family time...church youth group every sunday night 6-8 pm. Dance and piano lessons during the week...school dance team and swim team practices...was on the school newspaper &yearbook commitees...was co-president 2 years of the AFS club...which was hosting foreign exchange student programs...could only put 80 miles per week on my car which included to& from school & work. At home...lawn mowing..evening dishes & laundry- then homework..lots of it!! Was also in chorus...which held extra practices for performances...was not allowed to date formally...a tad bit my senior year..but when?? And not allowed to go to prom!

    • @cynthiacopland8634
      @cynthiacopland8634 Před 3 lety

      Dear Lord, that’s controlling! Do a happy balance for your own.

  • @samuelmccollam9999
    @samuelmccollam9999 Před 3 lety +1

    She’s trying so hard not to laugh when she strapped up to that thing😂😂😂

  • @laurelxoxoxxxooo2604
    @laurelxoxoxxxooo2604 Před 7 lety +82

    ok? but did it just really end? I don't think this video finished itself.

  • @paulmakinson1965
    @paulmakinson1965 Před 3 lety +10

    American exceptionalism and pride stems from certain values that manifest themselves in its constitution. Those values find their inspiration in the ideas of the "siècle des lumières" and those of the French revolution: that all people are born with equal and unalienable rights, in direct opposition to feudalism in which some people have certain privileges by right of birth (divine right). So Americans trying to emulate European feudalism seems like a betrayal of their own values and identity. It happened in the age of the robber barons, it is happening again in this day and age.

  • @brjiggacity
    @brjiggacity Před 3 lety

    I definitely hope to visit this place. I could only imagine living there. Its probably worse then with gossip and rumors, than today with social media. God bless those people.

  • @JMarieCAlove
    @JMarieCAlove Před 7 lety +1

    I got to tour this mansion, the Marble House! It's so beautiful inside and outside! I would love to go back to Newport, R.I. someday!

  • @Ihatehersoo_much
    @Ihatehersoo_much Před 4 lety +30

    That girl looks like she’s trying not to laugh while wearing that back brace 😂 can u imagine them putting that wig on you and then randomly putting you in that back brace right after 😂

  • @NoGoodHandlesComingToMind

    Awesome. Very inspiring!
    ..the wealth, not necessarily the routine.

  • @longtail4711
    @longtail4711 Před 4 lety +2

    I deplore child abuse committed in any class. What they did to her was horrific.

  • @rollingthunder7258
    @rollingthunder7258 Před 3 lety

    NEWPORT MANSIONS ARE GIGANTIC AND BEAUTIFUL AND THE LOCATION IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO BRING UP A CHILD IS JUST BEAUTIFUL.

  • @paulbroderick8438
    @paulbroderick8438 Před 6 lety +34

    Vanity of vanities, all is vanity: Ecclesiastes 1

  • @IchigoMali
    @IchigoMali Před 7 lety +4

    Love that Cora Crawley is the narrator for an excerpt on an American aristocrat. 😄

  • @xEllesirKx
    @xEllesirKx Před 3 lety +1

    For real though, I need me one of those back straightening devices

  • @angelieroa6507
    @angelieroa6507 Před 5 lety +2

    Got to know about Consuelo when I read a book by Daisy Goodwin. The title of the book is The American Heiress/The Duchess.

  • @jolien8195
    @jolien8195 Před 3 lety +9

    I felt the happiest for her when she grew up and lost the wig.

  • @unforeseeninsight
    @unforeseeninsight Před 3 lety +4

    I have to say, most females were treated and "trained" the same way in those days, regardless of wealth or social status. She was lucky to have a college education, however. Lots of young women (unless they came from farming families--where they had to work like the men) got the etiquette lessons (or domesticity lessons from their mothers), had little choice in husbands, etc. Expectations of women were the same, regardless of status--be polite, marry well. Most wanted to elevate their social status (make a better life for themselves)--or they faked it 'til they "made it."

    • @aslater5
      @aslater5 Před 2 lety

      Most females did not have mothers who forced them into marriages against their will, though.

  • @tovatoriello2803
    @tovatoriello2803 Před 3 lety

    i live close to Newport, and was able to tour Marble house. it is the most magical place i’ve ever been, and i felt just like a princess just walking through the halls.

  • @queensrule4450
    @queensrule4450 Před 3 lety +2

    According to more than one etiquette advisor, lifting the pinky finger while drinking tea is not proper manners, even during this time, so the reenactment with Ava doing so is incorrect because it would never be allowed.

  • @lucycat189
    @lucycat189 Před 8 lety +4

    I have seen a device advertised on tv that reminds me of her back brace. It is a device that is similar and will force the wearer to set up very straight. Supposed to prevent back and neck problems.

  • @judyholiday653
    @judyholiday653 Před 6 lety +24

    Alva paid for her abuse and arrogance when she was humiliated by her husbands affair which led her own divorce.I have seen this entire episode and mother and daughter ended working together in the fight for women's rights years later after Consuelo had been freed from that monster that she had been forced to marry just for the Duchess title..

  • @ricko7743
    @ricko7743 Před 3 měsíci

    i love how they got Elizabeth McGovern to narrate this. She plays “Cora” in Downtown Abbey, who is a dollar princess on the show

  • @wealthon128
    @wealthon128 Před 3 lety +2

    Consuelo" name of our chicken'🤣😂