In the latter part of 19th-century America, over 200 young women married into British and European noble families. Some Gilded Age families wanted their daughters to gain titles to secure their social standing, and many willing aristocrats needed the significant marriage settlements to repair crumbling estates and fill up their bank accounts. From the marriage in 1874 of Jenny Jerome to Lord Randolph Churchill , many mothers and daughters went in search of eligible nobles to marry. This episode ...
Sep 05, 2023•49 min•Ep. 58
Venice by the end of the 19th century had lost much of the glory it once had known. Crumbling palazzi, a bad economy and an overall sense of decay permeated the city. New writings published on the long-forgotten Venetian Renaissance painters and artists brought a new stream of visitors to the city including Henry James , John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler among others. American expatriate art connoisseurs such as Daniel and Ariana Curtis and the great Isabella Stewart Gardner all mad...
Aug 22, 2023•51 min•Ep. 57
As we continue our visit to the Riviera in the Belle Epoque, The Gilded Gentleman revisits the little-known story of an American-born European princess. Many people think that Grace Kelly became the first American princess of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier in 1956. The truth however is that decades before in the glittering years of the Belle Epoque, another American-born woman married a Monegasque prince and claimed that honor. Alice Heine was born in New Orleans to a French father and a...
Aug 15, 2023•36 min•Ep. 56
A glittering, glamorous look at the history of the French Riviera and its height in the years of the Belle Epoque - where not everything was always quite as it seemed. Originally popular as a warm weather destination for convalescing British aristocrats, the rocky, dramatically beautiful eastern coastline of southern France, the Riviera and its resorts of Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo, have been populated with the rich and the royal. It was also a good place if one just wanted to hide out. In man...
Aug 08, 2023•58 min•Ep. 55
As New York continued its march up the island of Manhattan, there were few places where people that couldn't escape to Newport could find somewhere to relax, play, stroll and find some shade. The development of Central Park provided some much needed relief but it took some time for it to become a place that was accessible and viable for all of New York's social classes. Out on the far coast of Brooklyn, the resort of Coney Island developed rapidly and became a truly great escape with its famous ...
Jul 25, 2023•46 min•Ep. 54
As a special summer bonus, join Carl for an encore of this classic Gilded Gentleman episode. Be sure to wear your best hat and dust off your gold topped cane for this very gilded shopping trip. Carl is joined by Emma Guest-Consales , PhD art historian and master New York City tour guide. for this special look at the evolution of shopping in 19th century New York and just how revolutionary some retailers were in the Gilded Age. Emma takes us on a virtual visit to Ladies MIle, the elegant shopping...
Jul 18, 2023•34 min•Ep. 53
There is nothing like a finely crafted cocktail to celebrate a special occasion (even if it's just a typical Tuesday). While many think that classic cocktail history began during the Jazz Age and the 1920s (even though America was in the middle of Prohibition ), the truth is that much happened about fifty years before -- in the Gilded Age. Vintage beverage specialist Don Spiro takes listeners through the history that includes the moment mixed drinks began to be called "cocktails", what the very ...
Jul 11, 2023•49 min•Ep. 52
When Oscar Wilde arrived in New York in January 1882, one of his most important intentions was to meet the great Walt Whitman , who was more than 30 years older than Wilde, and whom he had idolized since his youth. The two poets met, and in this show, we expand on what that meeting would have been like, how each writer influenced the other, and what perhaps did and didn't happen at their encounter. But the story is larger than that. This special show, with noted Wilde scholar and expert John Coo...
Jun 27, 2023•52 min•Ep. 51
The New York world that Walt Whitman knew as a young man in the 1850's was really two cities - that of New York (which was only today's Manhattan) and the growing city of Brooklyn across the East River. These two cities in the midst of pre-Civil War and pre-Gilded Age development inspired the young Whitman to give voice to a new America and new experience. In this first episode of a two-part series, writer and historian Hugh Ryan ("When Brooklyn Was Queer") talks about just how revolutionary Wht...
Jun 13, 2023•53 min•Ep. 50
A special bonus episode from the Bowery Boys archives! Join Tom and Greg for an in-depth look at the architect that, as some have said, gave the Gilded Age its look. In the years before the great firm of McKim, Mead and White with its star architect Stanford White, another American born and Paris trained architect was translating European style with uniquely American taste. Richard Morris Hunt was one of the very first to establish architecture as an art form and his work included such iconic st...
May 30, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 49
A look at New York's theater scene during the Gilded Age. Tim Dolan, theater historian and theater district tour guide (owner of Broadway UpClose ) helps us take a look at the era's theater, including its shows, stars and theaters, some of which are still around. Through most of the 19th century New Yorkers thought of "Broadway" as a street, not a term that meant great theater or even a theater district. This episode takes a look at what theater was like in the late 1800's and early 1900s just a...
May 16, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 48
Take a fascinating journey back in time to visit a few British royal rulers with an intimate look at their reigns as well as at their majestic coronations. British author and historian Tracy Borman joins The Gilded Gentleman for this unique look at history based on her book " Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy from William the Conqueror to King Charles III ". In this second part of our coronation celebration, historian and author Tracy Borman, joint Chief Curator of Histo...
May 02, 2023•53 min•Ep. 47
Join Carl and historian and curator, Curt DiCamillo for a fascinating look into the history of the British Crown Jewels . Curt shares the history of the crowns and jewels, including a discussion of the oldest (and newest) pieces in the collection. The show includes an intriguing look at how crowns likely first came to be in royal history and how they have evolved in shape and decoration from medieval times to the present day. The crowns we see today feature an extraordinary array of precious gem...
Apr 25, 2023•49 min•Ep. 46
The world of couture designers during the Gilded Age and the Belle Epoque went far beyond just the designers themselves. Houses such as Worth, Doucet and Paquin and many others created the stunning gowns and dresses worn by both Europe's and America's moneyed elite. But the network of milliners, hairdressers, perfumers, and even shippers and tax agents all made up the larger network that created this uniquely interdependent world. Author Dr. Elizabeth Block ( Dressing Up: The Women Who Influence...
Apr 11, 2023•51 min•Ep. 45
Some tour guides and historians have said that to understand the early history of New York, just follow the population's migration up the island of Manhattan during the 19th century. On today's show, historian and tour guide Keith Taillon takes us on a virtual tour and discusses how wealthy neighborhoods like Washington Square , Gramercy Park , Madison Square and of course the "gold coast" of Fifth Avenue developed, and what factors contributed to how it grew the way it did. Along the way, Keith...
Apr 04, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 44
While the Gilded Age's rich and powerful ruled from their mansions on Fifth Avenue, the poor and immigrant communities downtown struggled simply to survive. Arriving in New York in the early 20th century, journalist and novelist Zoe Anderson Norris devoted her talents to covering the world of the Lower East Side and do what she could to bring about acknowledgement of living conditions and to effect social change. Zoe wrote countless newspaper and journal articles and even launched her own litera...
Mar 28, 2023•54 min•Ep. 43
XXXIX. As the famed "demon barber of Fleet Street" gets ready to flash his razor and do his deeds once again in a new Broadway production, The Gilded Gentleman goes back in time to the early years of London's Victoria era to look at just how Sweeney Todd and his tale came to be. Born in the world of the sensational and gruesome stories of the " penny dreadfuls " , Sweeney Todd and his story were quite different from what theater audiences know today. The episode features a very special treat - a...
Mar 14, 2023•54 min•Ep. 42
They were beautiful, elegant stylemakers. They were also savvy, shrewd businesswomen who, in one way or another, practiced the world's oldest profession. They were the courtesans of 19th century Paris . In this show we take a look truly "behind the glitter and the gold" to see what lives lay behind the opulence, elegance and sophisticated style that courtesans showed to the world. For many of these women, their exuberant public images hid lives of pain, sadness and abuse. In addition to a look a...
Mar 07, 2023•49 min•Ep. 41
XXXVIII. Silver from the 18th century days of Paul Revere through the glittering Gilded Age was a coveted and valued luxury. In this show, Ben Miller, antique silver specialist and host of the podcast "Curious Objects" , discusses how American silver craftsmanship changed throughout the 19th century. Ben and Carl talk about some of the most important pieces made by Tiffany & Company, as well as Providence's Gorham Manufacturing Company . Ben discusses the role of the great 19th century Europ...
Feb 28, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 40
XXXVII. Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840-1924) was a member of Boston's Brahmin society during the Gilded Age. A philanthropist and passionate art collector, she created her very own museum she called Fenway Court which opened to the public in 1903. Her museum, now called the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum , resembles a Venetian-style palazzo and rises above Boston's Fens, and showcases objects and art from the classical world to the 20th century, all displayed today just as she laid them out her...
Feb 14, 2023•57 min•Ep. 39
XXXVI. The night of February 10, 1897 was a snowy one in New York City, but the weather did not deter those lucky enough to have received an invitation to the grand ball at the Waldorf held by the Bradley Martins. It was a costume ball and guests arrived dressed as nobility and historical figures from centuries past. Drinking fine vintage champagne and dining on lobster and canvasback duck, New York's elite danced until dawn. However, some social opinion held that it was an extravagant show of w...
Feb 07, 2023•45 min•Ep. 38
XXXV. It's an undisputed fact that the Gilded Age was an era (to some) of unbridled excess - provided that one had the money of course. Those with a place in society and those that wanted it were locked in a battle to see who could climb higher up the social ladder and exert a greater influence on just what made up a new emerging "American aristocracy". The grand ball was in many ways the battlefield upon which these social skirmishes were enacted. In this show, we'll take a look at just what go...
Jan 31, 2023•48 min•Ep. 37
XXXIV. Just what is - or was - a dandy? Many recall that the early 19th-century tastemaker Beau Brummell was thought of a dandy with his meticulous style, and certainly many think of Oscar Wilde as a dandy. But there were others, including the French poet Charles Baudelaire, who was thought of as the "dark dandy". In this episode, Carl is joined by Natty Adams , author, journalist, maker of fine custom clothing and a self-described "modern dandy", to take a look at just how dandyism evolved thro...
Jan 17, 2023•37 min•Ep. 36
XXXIII: In celebration of Edith Wharton 's birthday on January 24, The Gilded Gentleman takes a look at a very special part of Wharton's life - her life in Paris. Wharton knew Paris from her childhood and made many trips there as a young married adult. But in her early 40's, the city became something more for her - it became a place where she finally felt connected and grounded as a creative and artistic woman. And to her surprise, it was a place where she found romantic love with a man (not her...
Jan 03, 2023•52 min•Ep. 35
XXXII: In celebration of his new book " The Delmonico Way: Sublime Entertaining and Legendary Recipes From The Restaurant That Made New York, " author Max Tucc i joins The Gilded Gentleman for a talk about food, family history and the real meaning of hospitality. Delmonico's ! Just the name was legendary. Edith Wharton mentioned it in her fiction set in the Gilded Age. The dining room hosted royalty and heads of state along with, in later years, Hollywood's most famous stars. And then there was ...
Dec 20, 2022•57 min•Ep. 34
XXX!. Champagne is unquestionably the world's most glamorous drink and has been used for centuries to celebrate everything from weddings and birthdays to royal coronations. It was the drink of choice for formal gatherings in the Gilded Age , the Belle Epoque and Victorian England . But there's so much more to understanding champagne than just enjoying the bubbles and the fizz. Champagne has a long and often misrepresented history that combines serendipity, ingenuity and sheer marketing brillianc...
Dec 13, 2022•49 min•Ep. 33
XXX. Christmas and the holiday season is always extra special in New York City. From all the lights and the traditional treats of the Radio City Rockettes to the tree at Rockefeller Center and performances around the city of The Nutcracker, it's hard not to feel festive. In this episode, professional New York City tour guide and speaker, Jeff Dobbins joins Carl for a look at the city's holiday traditions dating back to the early Dutch days of New Amsterdam up the the Gilded Age and the early 20t...
Dec 06, 2022•54 min•Ep. 32
XXIX. As a special bonus, enjoy this episode from the Bowery Boys Archives in which Greg Young and Tom Meyers tell the truly fascinating story of Jenny Lind , a 19th century soprano known as "the Swedish nightingale". Jenny came to America and made her concert debut in 1851 under the management of master showman PT Barnum . Barnum's relentless marketing and Jenny Lind , whose appearances caused enormous sold out crowds, a publicity frenzy and even the creation of merchandise with her name and im...
Nov 22, 2022•48 min•Ep. 31
XXVIII. International mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich has a career that has included performances around the world from New York's Metropolitan Opera to Milan's La Scala and the Opera Bastille in Paris. In today's interview she shares some perspective on the life and career of Lillian Nordica as well as the excitement and realities for a modern singer on the international stage. Kate has been called "the Carmen of this generation" (San Francisco Sentinel) and in this conversation she shares insights ...
Nov 15, 2022•42 min•Ep. 30
XXVII. The glamour of the Gilded Age was found not only at dinner parties and balls but in theatres and opera houses as well. Lillian Nordica , originally from the small town of Farmington, Maine, rose to the heights of operatic stardom both in Europe and here in America in the last years of the Gilded Age and the early years of the 20th century. Her unlikely story, little known today, combines a hardworking background of near poverty with the audiences and applause, the diamonds and gowns of an...
Nov 08, 2022•41 min•Ep. 29
