The Gilded Age refers to the period in US history ranging from the mid-1870s to the mid-1890s, the time in which author Stacey Lee sets The Downstairs Girl. This was the era between the Reconstruction—the relatively peaceful period during which there was an attempt to reunite the US after the Civil War—and the 20th century. “Gilded” implies golden and suggests the economic boom of the time. The boom was concentrated in the north and west, while the south, in which Lee’s text is set, still struggled with the losses of the Civil War. However, the south shared the era’s heightened interest in politics and calls for reform, as well as increased class display, capitalism, and the emergence of brands and advertising. This was the period during which women began to call for suffrage, or the right to vote.

As society became more industrialized, immigrant laborers increased in the US, raising questions about who counts as a “true” American. Immigrants often lived in poverty, while displays of wealth among the upper classes were more common. Lee references this history in the portrayal of the living conditions of Old Gin and Jo, and the elaborate show of class and money through the races held by the Paynes.