The Women of Rothschild: The Untold Story of the World's Most Famous Dynasty

In The Women of Rothschild, Natalie Livingstone reveals the role of women in shaping the legacy of the Rothschild dynasty, following the extraordinary lives of the Rothschild women from the dawn of the nineteenth century to the early years of the twenty-first. As Jews in a Christian society and women in a deeply patriarchal family, they were outsiders. Excluded from the family bank, they forged their own distinct dynasty, becoming influential hostesses and talented diplomats, choreographing electoral campaigns, advising prime ministers, advocating for social reform, and trading on the stock exchange. Rothschild women helped bring down ghetto walls in early nineteenth-century Frankfurt, inspired some of the most remarkable cultural movements of the Victorian period, and in the mid-twentieth century burst into America, where they patronized Thelonious Monk and drag-raced through Manhattan with Miles Davis. Natalie Livingstone, author and journalist, will be in conversation with Lauren Gilbert, Senior Manager for Public Services at the Center for Jewish History. This event took place December 6, 2022.

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