Gilded cage

Gilded cages for pet birds have probably been around for a long time, but the expression 'life in a gilded cage' is a metaphor for a life of luxury but without freedom, and usually refers to a woman who is kept in such a metaphorical gilded cage. For many years, the first use of 'gilded cage' in this sense was thought to be Arthur Lamb's famous song A Bird in a Gilded Cage (1900), which was about a kept woman. The words of the song went, “Her beauty was sold for an old man’s gold. She’s a bird in a gilded cage.” However, a user of this website, Mrs Barbara Williams, found an earlier citation for the metaphorical expression in a book titled The Sword of Damocles by American author Anna Katherine Green published in 1881. Therefore, until further evidence becomes available, the first citation belongs to Anna Katherine Green.