The Age of Innocence Characters
Every major character in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, with a portrait, who they are and the chapters they appear in.
Newland ArcherProtagonist · 34 chaptersA well-born New York lawyer torn between duty to his social world and an awakening passion for Countess Ellen Olenska.
May WellandMajor character · 31 chaptersA polished, seemingly innocent young woman from the Welland family who becomes Newland Archer’s fiancée and then wife.
Countess Ellen OlenskaMajor character · 29 chaptersA recently returned American countess whose frankness and troubled marriage unsettle New York society and captivate Newland Archer.
Mrs. Manson MingottMajor character · 27 chaptersThe formidable, blunt-minded dowager and matriarch who shelters and defends her scandalized granddaughter, Countess Olenska.
Mrs. WellandMajor character · 25 chaptersMay Welland’s careful, socially vigilant mother who manages appearances and shields the family from scandal in old New York.
Julius BeaufortMajor character · 24 chaptersA dazzling, newly wealthy banker; socially audacious, connected, and implicated in a public scandal.
Lawrence LeffertsMinor character · 20 chaptersA fastidious social arbiter who polices New York manners and voices whispered judgments about breaches of propriety.
Mr. WellandMinor character · 18 chaptersMay Welland’s placid, proper father—wealthy, cautious, and wedded to routine and respectability.
Mrs. ArcherMajor character · 18 chaptersNewland Archer’s widowed mother: a proud, genteel hostess who upholds old-guard New York social codes.
Regina BeaufortMinor character · 18 chaptersThe composed, well-bred wife of banker Julius Beaufort who lends his flashy new money social legitimacy.
Medora MansonMinor character · 17 chaptersAn eccentric, blithe aunt who has sheltered Ellen in Europe and breezily interposes herself in New York society.
Janey ArcherMinor character · 15 chaptersNewland Archer’s unmarried sister who keeps the household informed of society gossip and watches the Countess Olenska affair with prim curiosity.
Louisa van der LuydenMajor character · 15 chaptersThe solemn, ceremonious grande dame of old New York whose quiet authority shapes society's response to scandal.
Mrs. Lemuel StruthersMinor character · 15 chaptersA showy, newly rich hostess whose fashionable musical salons tempt curiosity and scandalize old New York.
Henry van der LuydenMajor character · 14 chaptersThe dignified, quietly powerful head of the van der Luyden family who embodies Old New York's authority and social judgment.
Sillerton JacksonMinor character · 14 chaptersA seasoned New York social chronicler who remembers every connection and quietly supplies gossip and judgments.
Mr. LetterblairMinor character · 13 chaptersAn old-family, cautious lawyer who manages the Mingott and Archer legal affairs and counsels against scandal.
Dallas ArcherMinor character · 9 chaptersA breezy, modern-minded young New Yorker whose easy warmth and frankness prompt older society figures to speak more openly.
Ned WinsettMinor character · 9 chaptersA witty, skeptical New York journalist and man of letters who offers Newland Archer frank, outside conversation.
RivièreMinor character · 8 chaptersA soft-spoken, precise French tutor who quietly understands Countess Olenska’s situation and offers tactful moral counsel.- DDuke of St. AustreyMinor character · 5 chaptersA titled English guest whose presence lends ceremonious authority to a van der Luyden dinner and who circulates in New York society.
- MMrs. Lovell MingottMinor character · 5 chaptersA member of the Mingott household who sits in the family box and takes part in household responses to scandal.
- CCount OlenskiAntagonist · 4 chaptersEllen Olenska's estranged husband, a distant European count who seeks to control or reconcile with his wife from abroad.
- MMr. Lovell MingottMinor character · 3 chaptersAn influential family elder consulted about the Countess Olenska’s return, acting as a behind-the-scenes arbiter in family decisions.
- MMr. Sillerton JacksonMinor character · 3 chaptersA social veteran and conversationalist who supplies historical allusions and commentary at elite gatherings.
- NNastasiaMinor character · 3 chaptersThe Countess Olenska's Russian attendant and household servant who accompanies or is notably absent during key private moments.
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