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Men of the Times

“Beautiful credit! The foundation of modern society. Who shall say that this is not the golden age of mutual trust, of unlimited reliance upon human promises? That is a peculiar condition of society which enables a whole nation to instantly recognize point and meaning in the familiar newspaper anecdote, which puts into the mouth of a distinguished speculator in lands and mines this remark: 'I wasn't worth a cent two years ago, and now I owe two millions of dollars.”

~ Mark Twain, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today

Drawing inspiration from the work of Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, A Tale of Yesterday is a clever play on The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today in which Twain and Warner satirized the actions of wealthy families of the day. Serving as a social commentary on the use of gold to cover the problems of the age, Twain and Warner presented their own view of the era which adopted their title, The Gilded Age.



Just as A Tale of Today tells their story A Tale of Yesterday tells the same story, from a modern perspective looking back at the Gilded Age with appreciation and respect. The Gilded Age may be interpreted differently by everyone, but A Tale of Yesterday takes you back in time in an effort to appreciate the innovations in architecture, the history of the town of St. Augustine, and the significant role the Gilded Age played in the town's extensive history.

Photo provided by Clayton Junkins.

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