It was called the Gilded Age, a time when robber barons and their useless offspring built excessive tributes to their self-proclaimed awesomeness. Newport, Rhode Island is the epitome of this unbelievable excess, aptly dubbed Conspicuous Consumption.

Newport is chock full of gaudy mansions erected by the “more money than class” club. In an embarrassing effort to one-up each other with their “summer cottages” these iconic American families of railroad, mining and steel fortunes, threw ridiculously lavish parties for their pets, sat atop carriages every afternoon to show off their new outfits, had notorious affairs, harassed their overworked… CONTINUE READING >>