# Mrs. Archer — The Age of Innocence character guide > Mrs. Archer in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Mrs. Newland Archer, young Mrs. Archer **First appearance:** 0001-i ## Snapshot Newland's widowed mother, a true Newland devoted to travel, horticulture, and the best fiction, and to the family's unspoken rules. ## Who they are Mrs. Archer presides over a household of faded Reynolds-portrait gentility, where ferns, macramé, and Ouida are cultivated and the grosser pleasures of the Mingotts are politely deplored. She shares with her daughter Janey a vocabulary and a worldview so entwined that the two seem like one mind, and she regards any woman who loves imprudently as necessarily designing. Her quiet judgments shape the moral weather Newland moves through, making her a small but constant pressure on his choices. ## Relationships ### [Newland Archer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/newland_archer) _family_ A domineering, traditional mother who expects her son to uphold family honor and social propriety without question. ### [Ellen Olenska](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/ellen_olenska) _social_ A strained, disapproving acquaintance where Mrs. Archer views Ellen as a scandalous outsider threatening their social circle. ### [Janey Archer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/janey_archer) _family_ A codependent mother-daughter relationship where Janey remains a spinster under her mother's controlling influence. ### [Ellen Olenska](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/ellen_olenska) _social_ A strained, disapproving acquaintance where Mrs. Archer views Ellen as a scandalous outsider threatening their social circle. ### [Newland Archer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/newland_archer) _family_ A domineering, traditional mother who expects her son to uphold family honor and social propriety without question. ### [Newland Archer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/newland_archer) _family_ A domineering, traditional mother who expects her son to uphold family honor and social propriety without question. ### [Janey Archer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/janey_archer) _family_ A codependent mother-daughter relationship where Janey remains a spinster under her mother's controlling influence. ### [Ellen Olenska](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/ellen_olenska) _social_ A strained, disapproving acquaintance where Mrs. Archer views Ellen as a scandalous outsider threatening their social circle. ### [Janey Archer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/janey_archer) _family_ A codependent mother-daughter relationship where Janey remains a spinster under her mother's controlling influence. ## In the story ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/v) Hosts Mr. Jackson for dinner, eager to discuss Ellen Olenska and disapproving of her behavior. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/vi) Reluctantly agrees to visit Louisa van der Luyden to support the Mingotts after the social slight. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/vii) Narrates the affront to Mrs. van der Luyden and advocates for the family's intervention on behalf of Countess Olenska. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/viii) Present at the dinner, wearing her grandmother's seed-pearls and emeralds. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/x) Upset with Ellen's behavior, urges Newland to intervene, and discusses the matter with her son. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xi) Her belief about women in love affairs is cited as part of societal hypocrisy. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xv) She expresses concern about Newland's health and overwork. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xvii) Receives Ellen's call and expresses her preference for May. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xix) Newland's mother, who weeps softly during the ceremony. ### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xx) Newland's mother, who established the connection with Mrs. Carfry through a chance encounter in Botzen. Her strict adherence to 'dignified' social conduct influences the Archers' behavior abroad. ### [Chapter XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxvi) Hosts the Thanksgiving dinner and decries the 'trend' of social decay, including changes in fashion and the rise of Mrs. Struthers. ### [Chapter XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxxii) Criticizes Ellen's imprudence and suggests she never consults anyone; supports the van der Luydens' social stance. ### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxxiii) Assists with the dinner preparations, writing menus and checking the guest list. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/mrs_archer - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters