The Gilded Age’s Russell & Van Rhijn-Brook Family Trees Explained

At the crescendo of industrial innovation and unprecedented capital growth in the United States, Max’s The Gilded Age examines the machinations of two prominent New York families; the van Rhijn-Brooks and the Russells. Led by stately matriarch Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski), the van Rhijns are considered old money because they can trace their ancestors all the way back to the Mayflower. They are the closest thing to aristocrats that America has, while Bertha and George Russell are considered new money because Mr. Russell’s railroad empire has afforded them the wealth to purchase a place in an established society.