Art imitates life in more ways than one in HBO’s prestige costume drama.

1. Bertha Russell (played by Carrie Coon, inspired by Alva Erskine Belmont, aka Alva Vanderbilt)

© Photograph by Barbara Nitke/HBO

Bertha is the protagonist of The Gilded Age who works tirelessly to gain social standing and recognition. The character is inspired by Alva Vanderbilt, a New York socialite representing the ‘new money’ crowd who was also a women’s suffrage activist. Mrs Vanderbilt divorced her philandering husband and married one of his old friends over a decade later — in the show, the Russells instead enjoy a devoted marriage.

2. Booker T Washington (played by Michael Braugher)

Author, educator, and first principal of the Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University. Considered an ‘accommodationist’, Washington worked at improving relations between the Black and White communities instead of pushing for radical change, something clearly seen in the show.

3. Sarah Jane Smith Thompson Garnet (played by Melanie Nicholls-King)

First Black woman principal in the New York City public school system. The character only appears briefly on the show, but we do get to see her passion for rescuing the public schools for Black children from shutting down.

4. Duke of Buckingham (played by Ben Lamb, inspired by the ninth Duke of Marlborough)

Although the Duke of Buckingham was an actual title created in the past, the show’s duke is not a historical figure.

5. Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor (played by Donna Murphy)

Pre-eminent New York socialite of the Gilded Age, her social prowess in gatekeeping the upper crust was formidable, but unfortunately, only just hinted at in the show.