How old is Elsa in 1883? Character's possible age from the Yellowstone spin-off, explored

1883 is the first spin-off and prequel of Yellowstone, which premiered on Paramount+ in December 2022. The miniseries tells the origin story of the ranch as an earlier generation of the Duttons settles in Montana after the Civil War.

One major character in the show is Elsa Dutton, the daughter of James and Margaret Dutton, who serves as the narrator of the story. Played by Isabel May, Esla goes through a significant transformation during the course of the show as she travels with her parents and ultimately meets with a tragic fate.

Meanwhile, her age has become a topic of discussion among fans, who are wondering how old Elsa is in 1883. Elsa initially states her birthday as April 9, 1866, which makes her 17 during the events of the show. However, she later claims to be 18 years old.

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How old is Elsa in 1883?

Elsa is either 17 or 18 years old in 1883. In an initial episode of the show, the Duttons’ daughter says she was born exactly a year after Lee surrendered to Grant, which makes her age 17 in the year 1883. She said:

“18 years ago on this day, Lee surrendered to Grant in the home of Wilmer McClean in the village of Appomattox. A year later, I was born. It was Monday, April 9, 1883. And it was my birthday.”

However, in later episodes, she is said to be 18 years old. Fans have noticed this inconsistency, leading to wide discussions about Elsa’s age. If she is actually 18 in the show, then she would have been born in either 1865 or late 1864.

As the Battle of Appomattox Court House took place on April 9, 1865, a year later would mean Esla was born in 1866, which does match up with other details in the series.

Meanwhile, it is revealed in the series that James Dutton was captured at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 and spent the rest of the Civil War in a Union prison camp. Margaret Dutton, Elsa’s mother, makes things even more confusing.

She says she worked on a farm for three years while pregnant with Elsa or carrying her on her back, all while James was in prison. But that would mean Elsa was conceived before James was captured, which does fit with what the show says about his time as a prisoner.

While these little details do not have much impact on the overall narrative of the show, they do irk some fans who prefer attention to detail. Though the creators did a great job at building the world of Yellowstone and its spin-offs, they seemed to have missed out on this small detail about Elsa’s age.

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How old was actress Isabel May in 1883?

Isabel May, the actress who plays Esla, was 20 at the time of the filming of the show. She was born on November 21, 2000. When the Western drama premiered in December 2021, the actress had turned 21. In 2023, Isabel had an interview with People Magazine where she talked about how she landed the role of Elsa and said:

“[Taylor Sheridan said] I want you to be this character in this show called 1883 that I haven’t written yet. But I want to nail you down so you don’t go do something, and I can’t have you anymore. And I was thinking to myself, ‘Well, that's not an issue, for sure.’”

Following the conclusion of the prequel show, Isabel returned to reprise her role as the narrator in 1923 and also in the Yellowstone series finale. The actress's other television credits include the shows Young Sheldon and Alexa & Katie.

1883 is available to stream on Paramount+.