Quote of the day:

If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.
—Mark Twain

I remember reading this passage from the 1999 J.P. Morgan biography Morgan: American Financier by Jean Strouse:

Even Morgan’s personal appearance gave rise to legend. He had a skin disease called rhinophyma that in his fifties turned his nose into a hideous purple bulb. One day the wife of his partner Dwight Morrow reportedly invited him to tea. She wanted her daughter Anne to meet the great man, and for weeks coached the girl about what would happen. Anne would come into the room and say good afternoon; she would not stare at Mr. Morgan’s nose, she would not say anything about his nose, and she would leave. The appointed day arrived. Mrs. Morrow and Mr. Morgan sat on a sofa by the tea tray. Anne came in, said hello, did not look at Morgan’s nose, did not say anything about his nose, and left the room. Sighing in relief, Mrs. Morrow asked, “Mr. Morgan, do you take one lump or two in your nose?”

The problem here is that Dwight Morrow did not join the firm until after Morgan died. Still, I checked with Anne Morrow Lindbergh. She wrote back: “This ridiculous story has not a grain of truth in it,” but “is so funny I am sure it will continue.”

So I was curious to see how he would be portrayed in The Gilded Age, season 3.

As the third season takes place in 1884 when Morgan was in his late 40s, I think they are correct in showing just the beginning of a bulbous nose, not yet quite the hideous purple that it would become when he was in his fifties.

Here’s the actual JP for comparison.

I just watched the penultimate episode of the third season and all I’ll say is, I didn’t see that coming.

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