#maud beaton tag

[adamsvanrhijn]

"Here's my other cousin, Mr. Oscar van Rhijn… May I introduce you to Miss Maud Beaton?"

2.02 ▹ Some Sort of Trick

THE GILDED AGE (2022–)

#the gilded age spoilers #the gilded age #hbo the gilded age #the gilded age hbo #thegildedageedit #perioddramaedit #perioddramagif #oscar van rhijn #blake ritson #maud beaton #nicole brydon bloom #gifshistorical #tvedit #perioddramasource #weloveperioddrama #my gifs tag #userrobin #maud beaton tag #oscar van rhijn tag

[corallapis]

Olga “Oggie” Lynn (1882-1961), born Lowenthal, was a singer and singing teacher, who, despite being somewhat older than most of the Bright Young Things, was a staple of their circle. She was “short,” “dumpy,” and “jolly,” and would often host tableuax vivants for charity or sing at parties with “a rather sweet, pure little voice” when she wasn't giving lessons. She “was inclined to get into situations with which she could not cope and was always being helped by her friends,” chief among them Oliver Messel.

For a time, she lived together with Gladys Cooper, Lady Idina Sackville, and Tallulah Bankhead. According to Chips Channon, she and Tallulah Bankhead were “the queens of London's wickedest world — la haute lesbie [coterie of smart lesbians].” Her girlfriend, Maud “the Admiral” Nelson (1904-1969), though “unable to type,” was secretary first to Napier, Lord Alington, and then Cecil Beaton. It is undoubtedly Maud Nelson to whom Anthony Powell refers when he describes the mixed make-up of the parties of the age:

At one end of the scale there'd be quite smart people, Diana Cooperish sort of figures and so on. At the other there'd always be a lot of these girls who were sort of living on the margin — you know, they'd do a little modeling; at the same time they were not quite tarts but they were being half kept. And then it would tail off into the queer, almost criminal world — lesbians dressed as admirals, that sort of thing. (emphasis mine, qtd. in Taylor, Bright Young People)

As a Christmas present, in 1933, Baba and Cecil Beaton gifted Olga Lynn a scrapbook filled with signed photographs of their friends, giving us a glimpse of her social circle. It included Lady Idina Sackville; Violet, Duchess of Rutland; Gertrude Lawrence; Lady Diana Cooper; Napier, Lord Alington; Sir Michael Duff; Audrey Pleydell-Bouverie; and Viola Tree.

#olga lynn #bright young people #bright young things #ok get ready for my extensive tagging. here we go → #1920s #1930s #oliver messel #gladys cooper #idina sackville #tallulah bankhead #chips channon #maud nelson #napier alington #anthony powell #diana cooper #baba beaton #violet rutland #gertrude lawrence #michael duff #audrey pleydell-bouverie #viola tree #peter watson #lilia ralli #baba d'erlanger #charles james #tom mitford #info abt the photos & sources in alt! #🕰️

[adamsvanrhijn]

"And you continue to inspire me, Miss Beaton." "...I wish I knew what to make of your cousin." "Well, I've never seen him like this with anyone. You bring out the best in him, and I'm glad."

2.04 ▹ His Grace The Duke

THE GILDED AGE (2022-)

#the gilded age #the gilded age hbo #thegildedageedit #oscar van rhijn #blake ritson #marian brook #louisa jacobson #nicole brydon bloom #maud beaton #perioddramaedit #perioddramagif #my gifs tag #maud beaton tag #marian brook tag #oscar van rhijn tag

[adamsvanrhijn]

"Really, Mr. Van Rhijn. Isn't this the moment when I slap you and walk off in a huff?" "Not in our version of the story."

2.06 ▹ Warning Shots

THE GILDED AGE (2022–)

#the gilded age #thegildedageedit #the gilded age spoilers #oscar van rhijn #maud beaton #blake ritson #nicole brydon bloom #perioddramaedit #perioddramagif #tvedit #tvgif #flashing gif #weloveperioddrama #gifshistorical #perioddramasource #oscar van rhijn tag #maud beaton tag

[adamsvanrhijn]

▹ Nicole Brydon Bloom as Maud Beaton & Blake Ritson as Oscar van Rhijn THE GILDED AGE (2022–)

#the gilded age spoilers #thegildedageedit #the gilded age hbo #the gilded age #hbo the gilded age #oscar van rhijn #maud beaton #my gifs tag #oscar van rhijn tag #the gilded age tag #maud beaton tag #blake ritson #nicole brydon bloom

[adamsvanrhijn]

#the gilded age tag #oscar van rhijn tag #maud beaton tag #oscar van rhijn #maud beaton

[adamsvanrhijn]

THE GILDED AGE (2022–)

#my gifs tag #johnoscar tag #john adams tag #oscar van rhijn tag #maud beaton tag #oscar van rhijn #the gilded age #thegildedageedit #lgbtedit #perioddramagif #perioddramaedit

[adamsvanrhijn]

Nicole Brydon Bloom as Maud Beaton and Blake Ritson as Oscar Van Rhijn in Season 2 of The Gilded Age on HBO (via r/TheGildedAge on Reddit)

#the gilded age #the gilded age tag #the gilded age hbo #oscar van rhijn #oscar van rhijn tag #maud beaton tag

[adamsvanrhijn]

it's this fun cross-section of biphobia and homophobia — people off this site Are willing to see maud as a lesbian (and the approach i see to that is a whole other topic) (also obligatory disclaimer that Words And Ideas Worked Different In The 1880s) but i have not seen much if any talk of her being bisexual!

even though plenty want that to be the case for oscar, for her benefit of course.

but What If maud is in love with and attracted to oscar and also can be/has been in love with and attracted to women. how might that change her approach to and thoughts about marrying him or marriage in general? how would that impact her relationship with and feelings about oscar if she came to find out oscar is gay? when it is the 19th century and the social landscape, especially ideas about homosexuality and marriage, is so different from ours in 2023?

but that would imply that bisexuality is a varied and nuanced human state of being worthy of exploration in its own right, and it wouldn't solve the Problem, which is that oscar is not marrying a woman for the right reason — "being in love with and wanting to have sex with her".

#the gilded age spoilers #oscar van rhijn tag #maud beaton tag

[adamsvanrhijn]

vanityfair

First Look: The late-19th-century swells of the Upper East Side are back at it in extravagant fashion in season two of 'The Gilded Age.

Premiering October 29 on HBO, Cynthia Nixon, Christine Baranski, and Denée Benton return for a new season that amps up the stakes, along with lavish production design. "The whole thread of [season two] is wrapped around this story of dueling opera houses," says executive producer David Crockett. "You have this very clear choice for all of New York society: Are you going to go the old money route, or the new money route?" With The Gilded Age's intricate environments and a sprawling cast of ornately costumed characters, the curtain can't raise soon enough.

#the gilded age #the gilded age hbo #hbo the gilded age #Instagram #vanityfair #vanity fair #oscar van rhijn tag #maud beaton tag

[adamsvanrhijn]

from what we know right now, it hasn't been shown that maud has a compelling external reason to get married at all, let alone if she's gay — she ~goes everywhere~ already, lives independently, and has some kind of consistent financial support with money at her disposal.

if all of that is true (and we may find out it's not), and is expected to remain true for her in the future, there are really only 2-3 realistic practical reasons for her to get married... one of course would be to ensure she continues receiving invitations as she gets older / to otherwise join the married social stratum and stay with her own generation socially. another would be if she wants to have sex with a man specifically without risking her reputation, and, extending that, if she wanted to have children.

there is the illegitimacy situation, but while a good marriage would secure her a position in high society, it wouldn't erase any rumors about her birth, so she isn't reeeally being legitimized in that way. and if she married, for example, oscar, then it would still be known that the money is her own, so the source of the rumors isn't necessarily going away either... granted, if there is anywhere she isn't going due to talk about her background, a well regarded husband would get her into doors because he can't be invited without her.

the first one though... if she's charismatic and pleasant and maintains a good reputation, she can easily maintain a busy social life as a spinster, and with her own money, she could entertain on her own terms without considering the needs of a husband. if she wanted to stay meaningfully busy she could have a hobby or charitable vocation of some kind. there would likely be some elements of society life she would have less access to, but that might be a small price to pay for the rest of her independence.

the main risk to that lifestyle is that as an unmarried woman she is more vulnerable to the rumor mill and a fall from grace would likely be final. but... if she's not having sex with men, and any affairs she is having are discreet (in other words, not with married women and not flaunted à la, say, the paris salon scene), the risk of that is pretty low.

obviously we are missing a lot of information right now, and it's possible that she has a practical motivation the audience doesn't know about that makes any of the above more compelling, but based on what we know from. ummm. (checks notes) two episodes... i don't know why it would be more appealing to her to marry oscar than to continue her current lifestyle unless she has genuine interest in oscar. to be quite honest.

#none of which precludes her being gay and not knowing about it yet. for the record. #the gilded age spoilers #maud beaton tag #oscar van rhijn tag

[adamsvanrhijn]

i think the Funniest option is if maud IS interested in having sex with oscar, and is soooo excited to make beautiful little van rhijn babies, and also, crucially, thinks sex is supposed to be enjoyable and fun, and has heard that it can happen even when a woman is pregnant and nursing

#the gilded age spoilers #oscar van rhijn tag #maud beaton tag

[adamsvanrhijn]

i think the people convinced maud is scamming oscar are used to shows where character motivations and plot points are intentionally twisty and nothing can be taken at face value — which is just not julian fellowes's style of story telling. so while it could turn out to be the case, it would be a departure from his usual patterns, and we haven't seen any indication In the show Along his usual patterns that would point to that about maud

the evidence people point to is more straightforwardly explained by other factors (some financial scams operate by implying an investment opportunity is a limited time exclusive vs this is also the operation of pretty much all business finance in the 1880s.) (maud wants to throw aurora off by being worried about oscar fortune hunting vs. maud is worried about oscar fortune hunting.) (maud being religious is to make oscar sympathetic to her and think she's innocent vs nobody who knows anything about oscar would think this would make oscar sympathetic to them which is basically stated on screen / it is a little too late to feign innocence when you have already multiple times made a point out of being worldly and knowing what sex is.)

again. not saying it isn't the case. but if it is the case it isn't consistent with this manner of storytelling — which is why the bulk of the theorizing that i have seen so far seems to be explaining everything as red herrings and not pointing to like, actual straightforward evidence.

makes one wonder if perhaps an underlying motivation for the theory is the thought that a nice young woman could not be genuinely attracted to or interested in oscar van rhijn 🤔

#the gilded age spoilers #oscar van rhijn tag #maud beaton tag

[adamsvanrhijn]

#the gilded age spoilers #maud beaton tag #can be true indefinitely!

[adamsvanrhijn]

maud beaton core

#maud beaton tag #this is so much funnier and better for feminism than everything we know about her being false btw. #the gilded age tag

[adamsvanrhijn]

grumpy about maud beaton again

#it literally does not make any sense is the thing. wrt both an economy of storytelling and within the actual narrative #maud beaton tag