Some newlyweds are enjoying the winter social season, while one couple faces a less than desirable welcome. Barbara Hutton’s former admirer Italian Prince “Jerome” Girolamo Rospigliosi arrives in America with his new bride Marian Snowden to her family’s disapproval and attempts at annulment. In New York, the Beaux Arts Ball celebrates colonial ancestors with newlyweds William “Sam” Van Alen and Elizabeth “Betty” Kent Van Alen dressed as his ancestors. Other people and subjects include: Alexander Hamilton, Alan Hudson Jr., Henry Hudson, George Washington, Captain William Kidd, Beatrice Lillie, Mrs. Marian Adair Snowden Davidson – Mrs. Walther Davidson, Commander Walther Davidson, James Snowden, Janet Snowden, James Snowden, Beulah Snowden, Marion Davies, Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Marx Brothers, Boris Karloff, Mickey Mouse, Museum of the City of New York, Waldorf-Astoria NY, other Beaux Arts balls, American dollar princess, annulment, minority versus majority and estates, prenuptial agreements, Ancient Egypt, Hebrew ketubah agreements, Assyrian cuneiform tablet, New York Married Women’s Property Act, rise of prenuptial agreements, Italian courts and debts, Prince Harry and his book Spare, projection and emotional investments with public personas and stories, studying history to forecast future, Mayerling incident Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.
Some newlyweds are enjoying the winter social season, while one couple faces a less than desirable welcome.
Barbara Hutton’s former admirer Italian Prince “Jerome” Girolamo Rospigliosi arrives in America with his new bride Marian Snowden to her family’s disapproval and attempts at annulment. In New York, the Beaux Arts Ball celebrates colonial ancestors with newlyweds William “Sam” Van Alen and Elizabeth “Betty” Kent Van Alen dressed as his ancestors.
Other people and subjects include: Alexander Hamilton, Alan Hudson Jr., Henry Hudson, George Washington, Captain William Kidd, Beatrice Lillie, Mrs. Marian Adair Snowden Davidson – Mrs. Walther Davidson, Commander Walther Davidson, James Snowden, Janet Snowden, James Snowden, Beulah Snowden, Marion Davies, Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Marx Brothers, Boris Karloff, Mickey Mouse, Museum of the City of New York, Waldorf-Astoria NY, other Beaux Arts balls, American dollar princess, annulment, minority versus majority and estates, prenuptial agreements, Ancient Egypt, Hebrew ketubah agreements, Assyrian cuneiform tablet, New York Married Women’s Property Act, rise of prenuptial agreements, Italian courts and debts, Prince Harry and his book Spare, projection and emotional investments with public personas and stories, studying history to forecast future, Mayerling incident
Extra Notes / Call to Action:
Psychology Today article “Sibling Relationships and Prince Harry’s Book” by Barbara Greenberg
That’s What’s Her Name Podcast by Dr. Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle (links available in the notes section and transcript)
https://whatshernamepodcast.com/
Twitter / Tweet: https://t.co/VrQwC4oP3v"
*PBS interview to air on April 4th, 2023 "The Sun Queen"
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Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.
Publish Date: January 20, 2023
Length: 22:38
Opening Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands
Section 1 Music: There’s One Little Girl Who Loves Me by Jack Hylton, Album Fascinating Rhythm – Great Hits of the 20s
**Section 2 Music:**Umtcha, Umtcha, Da Da Da by The Rhythmic Eight, Album Fascinating Rhythm – Great Hits of the 20s
Section 3 Music: Sing, Baby, Sing / You Turned The Tables On Me by Carroll Gibbons, Album The Age of Style – Hits from the 30s
End Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands
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AS THE MONEY BURNS
Podcast by Nicki Woodard
Episode 076 – Price of Admission
Series Tag
00:00
[Music – My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands]
AS THE MONEY BURNS is an original podcast by Nicki Woodard. Based on historical research, this is a deep exploration into what happened to a set of actual heirs and heiresses to some of America’s most famous fortunes when the Great Depression hits.
Each episode has three primary sections. Section 1 is a narrative story. Section 2 goes deeper into the historical facts. Section 3 focuses on contemporary, emotional, and personal connections.
00:29
Story Recap
Barbara Hutton takes a cruise around the world, while Sam Van Alen and Betty Kent Van Alen honeymoon in Hawaii with an erupting volcano and racial tensions.
Now back to AS THE MONEY BURNS
Title
00:47
Price of Admission
[Music Fade Out]
Episode Tag
Some newlyweds are enjoying the winter social season, while one couple faces a less than desirable welcome.
01:00
[Music – There’s One Little Girl Who Loves Me by Jack Hylton, Album Fascinating Rhythm – Great Hits of the 20s]
Section 1 – Story
[Music Fade Out]
01:18
Week of January 18th, 1932
Traveling over the Atlantic Ocean towards Ellis Island, the ship Vulcania carries aboard Prince Girolamo “Jerome” Rospigliosi and his new young bride Marian Snowden.The couple is happily in love, but they might hit some rocky shores in America.
19 year old Marian and 24 year old Prince Jerome met each other when Marian was touring Italy only 4 months before marrying on Saturday, November 28th, 1931.
At midnight inside a village church on the Prince’s former estate in Maccarese outside of Rome, a priest performs the small marriage ceremony, but by morning his superiors refuse to recognize the marriage. Nonetheless the couple and the press proclaim their new marital status.
02:08
Back in the United States, Marian’s mother Marian Adair Snowden Davidson, formally known as Mrs. Walther Sherman Davidson, is quite upset over the sudden marriage and is working hard to get it annulled in their home state of Rhode Island, where Marian is still considered a minor incapable of proper consent. Rospigliosi claims Marian’s home of origin and birth is Minnesota where she would be of legal age to consent.
Why could such a matter be of importance? Well, there is another concern – an inheritance of course.
02:41
Rospigliosi is from a long Italian noble line with strong ties to Rome and the Papacy, however this Italian prince is not considered desirable despite his several centuries of family royal history.
Previously over the 1931 summer, Prince Jerome pursued another quite sizeable heiress Barbara Hutton to no avail. He followed her all over Europe from Rome to Biarritz. Alas, he gave up. In the meantime, he met the lovely young Marian all too amenable to his ardent professions.
03:16
Marian was due to make her debut at the Hotel Pierre in November 1930 along with her stepsister Mildred Meagher. Unhappily those plans were broken when her father James Snowden suddenly died on July 30th, 1930. His estate divided amongst his second wife and his 3 biological children from his first marriage with their estate controlled by their mother until they reach legal majority age of 21.
03:46
Marian’s sudden marriage challenges who might control her portion of the estate. By Italian law, her new husband Prince Jerome would now be in control. Only he has several financial obligations nipping at his heels. The sizeable rumored amount is nearly $500k ($10.68 million in 2023), and that could nearly take all of Marian’s portion. Italian courts are filling with creditors awaiting their payments, claiming the newly minted princess is now an Italian subject and entitled to their laws and thus they to her money.
04:22
No wonder, Marian’s stepfather Commander Davidson states, “We do not want that man entering America.”
According to the press, the Davidsons are attempting to block the Prince’s admission into the United States. Only immigration officials at Ellis Island claim there has been no petition against the Prince’s entry and that if he did arrive with a valid passport and proper papers, meaning a visa, then he would be admitted. It should also be noted the Prince’s mother was an American citizen Mary Reid.
Upon arrival, the prince must make his appeal to the guardians of the estate Mrs. Davidson and the Bankers Trust Company in New York.
While the prince might not be celebrated despite his lineage, there are other elites more willing to celebrate their own illustrious familial pasts.
05:10
For several weeks, newspapers detail another highly anticipated annual event --
Friday, January 22nd, 1932
The grand ballroom of the new Waldorf-Astoria hotel is sparsely decorated so that the costumes of the Beaux Arts Ball will hold all the focus. For its 13th iteration, the ball serves as a scholarship fund for architectural students and held by the Society of Beaux Arts Architects.The 500 prominent attendees from all over dress up in elaborate costumes. Last year’s theme “Fantasie in Color” was a big hit though hectic with a focus on the modern – many famed architects showed up dressed as their most famous buildings, while this year’s theme “Pageant of Old New Yorke” takes a revolutionary turn to celebrate the 200 year anniversary of George Washington’s first presidential inauguration.
06:03
The price of admission requires more than dollars but elite memberships, social standing, and even better lineage. The descendants of the prominent colonial and revolutionary personas came dressed up as their ancestors. Doris Duke’s former escort during the 1931 autumn polo matches, Alan Hudson, Jr. represents his ancestor the famous explorer Henry Hudson, namesake for the Hudson River.
06:30
Recently returned Hawaiian honeymooners, William “Sam” Van Alen and Elizabeth “Betty” Kent Van Alen dress as Sam’s ancestors Pieter and Vrouw Van Alen. Alexander Hamilton as Alexander Hamilton. Other ancestor-descendants include Vander Poels, Adamses, Van Rensselaer, Schermerhorns, de Peysters, Van Cleefs, and others…
06:53
Kenneth Murchison appears as George Washington, somewhere Benjamin Franklin flirts with pretty girls. Captain William Kidd and his wife are portrayed by non-descendants Ernest Truex and Beatrice Lillie. Old loyalties are celebrated, while old animosities and rivalries are forgotten.Torys dance with Whigs, French and English soldiers chat, pioneer buckskins lads mingle with silk brocaded ladies, Quakers, Justices, and several Indians. At one moment, joyous shouting greets the fife and corps playing “Yankee Doodle.” During the pageant, a jug of rum is passed to the Indians in payment for Manhattan.
07:31
The revelries continue late into the night and into the next day. With a late night broadcast on WHK radio of the activities from 12:30am to 1am as far as Akron, Ohio. A pre-event exhibition of costume designs by various fashion students is displayed at the Museum of the City of New York, and another exhibition with some actual costumes will later appear in Washington, D.C. in February.
The past can certainly seem so delicious when the future is uncertain.
08:06
[Music – Umtcha, Umtcha, Da Da Da by The Rhythmic Eight, Album Fascinating Rhythm – Great Hits of the 20s]
Section 2 – History & Historiography
[Music Fade Out]
08:22
History always has an odd way of repeating itself in both fun and serious matters.
The Beaux-Arts Ball is an annual costume ball traditionally given by the students of the Ecole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts, the School of Fine Arts in Paris. Elaborate floats, pageantry, and costumes are all part of the scene. E. Berry Wall considered it a revival of paganism. The parties are often full of antics with a tad bit of naughtiness, and even American architectural schools replicate the tradition. For the upcoming 1932 New York event at the Waldorf-Astoria, fashion school design sketches are displayed on exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. The colonial theme hints at plenty of lace, velvets, and heirlooms to be pulled from the family trunks and revived for the evening.
09:11
Several more lesser Beaux Arts Balls will be celebrated a few more times in various other cities including February 11th in Lincoln, Nebraska, February 20th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and March 3rd in St. Petersburgh, Florida.While the former two follow the colonial and inaugural themes, the latter will include a movie premiere theme with more star filled guests including Mickey Mouse, Mary Pickford, her husband Douglas Fairbanks, Greta Garbo, Marion Davies, the four Marx Brothers, and Boris Karloff among the costumed guests. Even Vancouver will host an Aztec themed Beaux Arts Ball on March 11th.
09:49
Though it is fun to revel in the past traditions for a night, there are other traditions like the American dollar princess which can be a quite bit messier.
Mrs. Davidson seeks an annulment under Rhode Island law for her daughter’s sudden elopement on the grounds that as 19 year old Marian Snowden is still a minor stated as “an infant under the law.” 24 year old Prince Girolamo “Jerome” Rospigliosi claims that Marian is a resident of Minnesota where 18 is considered legal.
Furthermore this isn’t a matter of only American state jurisdiction, Italian courts claim Marian is now an Italian citizen and her estate is therefore liable to Italian law.Creditors want repayment of the Prince’s nearly $500k in debts (that would be $10.68 million in 2023).
10:41
Marian’s father James Snowden died on July 30th, 1930. He had previously divorced Marian’s mother in 1923, and both remarried.In his will, Snowden’s estate is divided one third to his widow and two thirds to his 3 children – Marian Snowden, Janet Snowden, and James Snowden, Jr. As none have reached the majority of 21, Mrs. Davidson remains their appointed estate guardian.
11:09
Upon James Snowden’s death, the oilman’s estate is valued from $2 to 4 million dollars (or today in 2023 $42.7 to $85.5 million) with two thirds allotted to his children. On the low end, that would mean $1.3 million (today $27.7 million) with Marian’s portion being $445,000 (today $9.5 million), and the high end would be $2.6 million (today $55.5 million) with Marian receiving $867,000 (today $18.5 million). Meaning even in the best of circumstances, Prince Jerome would decimate her inheritance almost immediately. Most reports seem to favor the lower number of $2 million at least by 1932, since Snowden had been a large stakeholder of petroleum stocks those prices could have fluctuated or dropped thus staying next to the lower estimated figure.
12:04
One ongoing dispute with the estate is the access of Snowden’s second wife and widow Beulah Snowden. The 1925 will had made a provision for her access to the Sands Point – Long Island, NY home for 2 years after his death. However that estate was sold in 1928 and used to purchase the Southampton estate, for which the widow insists the clause be honored and applied in the same manner.
12:29
Clarity is definitely needed when determining estates. Prenuptial agreements began as a way to protect wealthy women from their less advantaged husbands. Until only most recently in the last few decades in a few nations and even most states for us Americans, upon marriage all assets are under the sole discretion of the husband. One can dig into history to find spendthrifts, gamblers, womanizers, and sometimes utterly failed but well-meaning businessmen wasting away and obliterating family fortunes.
13:00
Prenuptial and marital agreements date back to Ancient Egypt, and early Hebrew marriages also had the ketubah which were marital contracts in writing and placed above or on the door of the couple’s home. These not only protected property during a divorce (which rarely occurred) but during death as well. The de facto prenuptial agreements could be written or verbal and mostly determine the dowry and bride price negotiated by the parents of the bride and groom. The bigger most likely consequence is protecting the women in case of widowhood, as stated divorces were seldom granted.
13:35
A 2017 article indicates that a 4,000 year old Assyrian cuneiform tablet discovered in Turkey might be the first physical record of a prenuptial agreement. The terms provide that either party groom or bride would have to pay 5 minas to the other spouse in order to terminate the marriage.It also has one of the earliest mentions of infertility with the term stating that if a child had not been conceived within the first two years a female surrogate slave would be used until a male child is born. In ancient Assyria, infertility is not grounds for divorce.
14:10
In 1848, New York state passed the Married Women’s Property Act to ensure women could inherit their husbands’ estates, which previously would only occur if a prenuptial agreement was in place. In the 1980s, prenups become more common as a way of protecting either spouse’s assets especially in the now higher chance case of divorce.
14:28
However this story involving the Rospigliosi-Snowden marriage points out another complication.The varying laws cross not only different states but even more countries. The prevalence of the American dollar princess marriages to titled foreigners raise plenty of issues, especially when used as a method to bring new cash to flailing estates. Those marriages also come at a time when divorce becomes more socially acceptable and prevalent since the 1890s. International marriages can be very messy divorces. This will come up soon enough for several of our main characters.
15:05
Ahhh, the winding nature of these tales requires me to constantly dig for specifics, and in so doing I uncover ever so many other ties. As I flesh out the Snowden-Rospigliosi marriage and the subsequent relevant other stories like Marian’s younger sister Janet Snowden I find all the same themes not only repeating but linking directly and indirectly back to our main heiresses and heirs. The entanglements and influences that seem time eternal with ever more tragedies mounting.
15:38
I could tell all of them at once, but that sort of distracts from the point of my trying to retell these stories. A one-off or the typical one and done manner would merely too quickly and neatly summarize a story to then jump to the next. When in actuality, these stories are happening simultaneously and with awareness to other parallel parties. How does the romance of one affect another’s hopes and dreams? Were they rivals and competition, or are they inspirations and beacons? What are the alternative arcs that could or might play out? What might foreshadow the darker fates ahead?
16:16
Once again, I have stumbled across a controversial marriage, a kidnapping threat, a sudden death, and a future suicide. All to be revealed in time. I only neatly summarize tales that will unlikely resurface within the primary storylines and timeline. This new story is definitely not one of those.
Right now, things still seem so pretty, hopeful, and bright. But our tales are heading towards darkness soon enough, and more than one tale will take a sharp turn later this year.
Little bright spots lighting the way into a future hell.
16:57
[Music – Sing, Baby, Sing / You Turned The Tables On Me by Carroll Gibbons, Album The Age of Style – Hits from the 30s]
Section 3 – Contemporary & Personal Relevance
[Music Fade Out]
17:14
History can be endlessly fascinating, but its importance comes in warnings of lessons ahead of us. It can be tricky to reconstruct a past, but what about if something is happening in the present?
Prince Harry’s book Spare has been released, and the speculation and reviews have been unleashed for dissection. He is still young and living, and his own memories and recollections are weirdly overly and sometimes inappropriately detailed, other parts vague, and still others remain totally disprovable. In the adjoining television interviews, he even boldly states he wants an apology and in essence an admission of guilt from his family the British royal family for the wrongs he perceives.
17:58
Even if you want to defend Prince Harry or try to empathize with his particular plight (unable to fully let go of his mother’s death), it is hard to overlook that so many of his claims can be verified or disproven by basic fact checking. In the digital age, there are so many resources that it’s more an overabundance of documented proof to overcome than a sparsity.
I mention all this as to how I face the same challenges when trying to reconstruct a bygone era from far more distant sources.
18:29
But that’s about facts. There seems to be a lot of emotional reactions happening as well. In the recent Psychology Today article “Sibling Relationships and Prince Harry’s Book” (link available in the transcript and notes section), author Barbara Greenberg points out much of the public discussion surrounding the prince’s revelations serves as a Rorschach test of the commenters’ own experiences and perspectives.
Psychology Today article “Sibling Relationships and Prince Harry’s Book” by Barbara Greenberg
18:53
There will always be a lot of projection and identification with the people and stories we hear. That’s human nature, which is what makes people endlessly complicated and fascinating.Now situationally some of these stories might seem a bit too irrelevant or unrelatable to our circumstances, and on the other hand they can help us define and understand ourselves and the world around us. What is common and familiar or though unusual and particular might still be applicable to our lives.
19:24
I know part of my obsession with any history, personal or otherwise, is the need for understanding, control, and if possible forecasting. The latter two in an attempt to alleviate or prevent any bad from arising. Alas, recent situations feel more like I can foresee potential problems but despite my efforts my warnings are ignored and those exact preventable complications occur – to my frustration and annoyance.
I will wait to see what the future brings Prince Harry. History repeating yet again. But pay heed the warnings from other past royals, several elements hint at a dark end and even a potential future Mayerling Incident. Sadly, a situation that will inevitably happen again within one royal or elite family or another every few generations.
20:16
Not too long ago, our tales were all in the public and constant fodder of topic, though not to the extent of today’s modern digital media. The one thing we should realize is that we all have attachments and judgements to how we regard the past and others. And anyone who makes it continually into the public eye will have to contend with a whole other level of scrutiny. It is always surprising how emotional investments can build up.
Whether primary or visiting, many of our heirs and heiresses stumble through life repeating the paths and patterns of many before and alongside them.
Due to the fascination involving immense wealth and elite status, they will pay the price monetarily, emotionally, and mentally in very public ways.
21:04
I want to give a shout out to What’s Her Name Podcast by sisters Dr. Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle (Mickle) on their recent PBS tour to discuss forgotten women in history.They interview guest historians on various fascinating and thought provoking women from across the centuries and millennia around the world from all walks of life – entertainers, philosophers, writers, royals, athletes, and so much more… An extensive collection of endless history.
That’s –
What’s Her Name Podcast by Dr. Katie Nelson and Olivia Meikle (links available in the notes section and transcript)
https://whatshernamepodcast.com/
Tweet: https://t.co/VrQwC4oP3v" / Twitter
If you enjoy As The Money Burns, then please share, like, & subscribe.
Hook
21:49
[Music – My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands]
Next when we return to AS THE MONEY BURNS…
Hearts break as a tennis star heads to the altar, but will one disgruntled family member halt the wedding?
Until then…
Credits
22:07
AS THE MONEY BURNS is an original podcast written, produced, and voiced by Nicki Woodard, based on historical research.Archival music has been provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, check out their website at www.pastperfect.com.
Please come visit us at As The Money Burns via Goodpods, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Transcripts, timeline, episode guide, and character bios are available at asthemoneyburns.com.
22:38
THE END.