# Mrs. Welland — The Age of Innocence character guide

> Mrs. Welland in The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mrs. Jack Welland

**First appearance:** 0001-i

## Snapshot

May's mother, for whom every hour must be 'provided for' and whose quiet horror of unspent time governs the Welland household's days.

## Who they are

Mrs. Welland is the guardian of Welland propriety, a woman who treats an unplanned afternoon as a moral hazard and adjusts her respect for her married children's independence around her husband's claims. She finds Newland's habit of 'saving' his days a mild inherited oddity, like his father's reading. Her ingenuity in filling every hour keeps the family machine running smoothly, and her horror at the Beaufort scandal shows how tightly her world is stitched to reputation.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/i)

Seated in the front of Mrs. Mingott's box, discussing seating with Ellen Olenska.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/ii)

May's mother, who introduces Newland to Countess Olenska and sits with Mingottian aplomb amid the critical stares.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/iii)

Stands slightly apart as May announces her engagement, shedding a beam of qualified approval.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/iv)

Accompanies the betrothal party, explains the ring's new setting, and silently disapproves of Ellen's public behavior.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/vi)

Confides in Archer about the social slight; later simulates reluctance about the engagement announcement.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/ix)

Oversees the round of family visits and insists on a full wedding trousseau, delaying the wedding.

### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xi)

Requested to be spared 'unpleasant' details of Ellen's history.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xiv)

Mentioned indirectly as part of the social circle Archer contemplates.

### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xvi)

Mentioned as having to improvise an establishment each year for Mr. Welland's health, drawing on discontented New York servants and local African supply.

### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxii)

Arranges social obligations for the family, distressed by Newland's lack of planning, and reads the Sillerton invitation aloud.

### [Chapter XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxviii)

Frets over the inconvenience of Ellen's visit; inadvertently upsets Mr. Welland.

### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/chapters/xxxiii)

Supervises the decoration of the drawing-room and approves of the farewell dinner.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters/mrs_welland
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_age_of_innocence_se/characters