They were beautiful, influential, and famous to all in their day. Some of the names we know, some are now obscure. But in 19th century America, they were the most talked-about and written-about women in the nation. Journalist Virginia Peacock rubbed shoulders with them and the people who knew them. In this lively and fascinating account of their lives, Peacock gives us the ravishing Jennie Jerome (mother to Winston Churchill) and the brilliant Kate Chase Sprague, who practically ruled Washington society during the Lincoln administration. Peacock also covers Madame Le Vert, Jesse Benton Fremont (wife of The Pathfinder), Baroness Curzon, and more. To be a belle was the pinnacle of society for these women but their influence on fashion and their powerful husbands made them forces to be reckoned with.