Stay ConnectedThe Gilded Gentleman history podcast takes listeners on a cultural and social journey into the mansions, salons, dining rooms, libraries and theatres including the worlds above as well as below stairs of America’s Gilded Age, France’s Belle Epoque and late Victorian and Edwardian England.
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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 going to the ball meant in the Gilded Age (whether you were invited or not) and just what it was like once you got there.
The show delves into several of the Gilded Age's most famous balls, from Alva Vanderbilt's costume ball of 1883 to Mrs. Astor's annual Opera Ball to the ultimately disastrous ball thrown by James Hazen Hyde in 1905. We'll look at the fashion and the jewels and share some examples of what happened when it all went careening off the rails.
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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 through the 19th century and created a revolution in not only fashion, but as a broader philosophy as well.
This episode looks at what criteria can be used to define a dandy, whether in the past or the present, using the classic examples of Brummell and Wilde and more modern gentlemen who challenge style and society's expectations.
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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 husband) at a most unexpected time in her life.
This episode takes a look at where and how Wharton lived in her years in Paris - and why and how she ultimately transferred her life to France, leaving her American life behind -- except in her most famous fiction.
We'll take a look at Paris the city as well, how it was evolving in the early years of the 20th century and just who some of the most artistic spirits were at the time, including Marcel Proust and Andre Gide and which became Wharton's most influential mentors and friends.
Produced by Bowery Boys Media, edited by Kieran Gannon.
FURTHER LISTENING:
A Sprig of Witch Hazel: Edith Wharton's Secret Love Affair
Edith Wharton's New York
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XXXII: In celebration of his new book "The Delmonico Way: Sublime Entertaining and Legendary Recipes From The Restaurant That Made New York," author Max Tucci 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 the equally legendary food.
Max Tucci is the grandson of Oscar Tucci who reopened the legendary restaurant in the 1920s after the original - in business since 1827 - had been closed due to Prohibition.
Oscar and his family built an empire that established Delmonico's as the gold standard of American fine dining and hospitality from the 1920s through the 1980's. Max, who holds the largest collection of Delmonico's memorabilia of his family's famous establishment, shares his memories, family history and anecdotes about the incomparable hospitality, fine dishes and famous clientele of America's first truly grand restaurant.
Back in 2008 (!) the Bowery Boys did a podcast about the history of Delmonico's. A little rudimentary but good background information for when you've finished with this show.
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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 brilliance. (Hint: The monk Dom Perignon didn't invent it.)
Join Carl and guest Don Spiro (whom listeners will remember from their recent show on absinthe) as they take a look at the full story. They correct some misconceptions about champagne's history, examine just what exactly it is, and discuss how it's been made and enjoyed over the centuries.
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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 20th century. Jeff shares how New Yorkers helped create the image of Santa Claus that we think of today, as well as how Hanukkah was celebrated and the influence of the waves of immigration on the city's traditions.
In the second half of the show, actor John Kevin Jones joins Carl. Kevin has been performing an annual one man adaptation of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" at the Merchant's House Museum, now in its 10th season. Kevin discusses the origins of Dickens's famous story, why he wrote it when he did and how he adapted it for the stage. Put on a woolly sweater, pour a glass of eggnog, and join The Gilded Gentleman to launch the holiday season.
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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 image, may have prompted America's fascination with celebrity.
And after you're done with this show, listen to the Gilded Gentleman's two-part tale on another opera star of the 19th century -- Lillian Nordica. Part 1 explores the making of this Gilded Age soprano superstar. Part 2 features an interview with Kate Aldrich, acclaimed Mezzo-Soprano, whose career has taken her around the world from New York's Metropolitan Opera to Milan's La Scala and the Opera Bastille in Paris.
And visit the Bowery Boys website for more images regarding Miss Lind's incredible American tour.
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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 on performing one of opera's most iconic roles - one that Lillian Nordica performed herself. A unique aspect of this interview is that Carl, Kate and Lillian all share Maine roots and Kate talks a bit about how her Maine and New England background has contributed to her career.
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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 international superstar. Unlike some divas, Lillian used her fame to support human rights and became an outspoken advocate for women's right to vote and equality in the workplace - whether a factory or opera stage. Her fame had even entered popular culture - she was one of the first models in ads for Coca Cola .
Join Carl on this week's episode for Lilian's story which takes us to Paris, St. Petersburg, Milan and around the world. We'll take a look onstage and offstage at just how a star in the Gilded Age was really made.
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XXVI. Jessica Fellowes is known to listeners as the best-selling author of the five companion books to the Downton Abbeytelevision series, which was created by her uncle, Julian Fellowes.
An accomplished journalist, novelist and public speaker, Jessica went on to write a unique and tremendously popular mystery series using the world of the famed Mitford family in the 1920's and 1930's as a backdrop. Most recently, Jessica has published a stunning new novel on the subject of life-long friendship, The Best Friend.
This episode of "The Gilded Page" delves deeply into the writing life of Jessica Fellowes and reveals some unique and fascinating aspects of the creative process.
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