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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Many fans of Edith Wharton's great novels "The Age of Innocence" and "The House of Mirth" may not realize that her very first published book was not a work of fiction at all.
In 1897, in collaboration with architect and interior designer Ogden Codman Jr, Wharton published "The Decoration of Houses", at the time, a groundbreaking work on the philosophy of interior design calling for a return to the classic European principles of balance, symmetry and proportion.
In fact when she built her own great country home The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts in 1902, she incorporated many of the French, Italian and British principles she lays out in the book.
In this episode, returning guest Dr. Emily Orlando, noted Wharton scholar and author, helps us understand just what the publication of this first book meant to Wharton and the career that was to come.
Furthermore, Dr. Orlando addresses the overriding theme of Wharton's own search for home and place that reoccurs regularly in her stories and novels. We can then understand not only Edith Wharton's concepts for classic architectural design but at least for her - what makes a house a home.
Dr. Emily Orlando is the editor of a recently published new annotated edition of "The Decoration of Houses" available wherever books are sold.
This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon
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Don Spiro, a vintage beverage specialist and one of the Gilded Gentleman's most popular guests, serves up a fascinating history of cocktails in the 19th century. So many cocktails often thought to have originated in the 20th century actually had their origins in the bars and saloons of the Gilded Age.
So fill the ice bucket and join Don and The Gilded Gentleman in a toast to a great new year!
This episode was edited by Kieran Gannon
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For many New Yorkers—and visitors alike—New Year’s Eve means gathering in Times Square, patiently counting down as the crystal-studded ball descends from the top of the former New York Times Building to mark the start of a new year.
Yet the celebration’s story runs far deeper than that single iconic moment. From how Times Square became the heart of the festivities to the ways its evolving character has shaped the city’s most famous night, New York’s New Year traditions are rich with history.
Join Greg Young and Tom Meyers of The Bowery Boys Podcast as they journey back in time to explore these celebrations, including the origins of one of the city’s oldest traditions—New York’s Chinese New Year.
Pop a bottle of bubbly and ring in the New Year with the Bowery Boys!
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Bowery Boys History Live is a live-show series at City Winery hosted by Greg Young featuring a variety of historians and tour guides. The last installment this summer featured author Liz Block and tour guide Keith Taillon. As live performances, they're a bit more loose and irreverent than the regular podcast and sometimes feature references to images being projected on stage.
As a special holiday bonus, step into the season with this festive dose of “Hot Victorian” history, naughty-list edition.
Join Greg Young of the Bowery Boys Podcast as he hosts this special holiday edition of Bowery Boys History Live!, recorded before a live audience at New York’s City Winery on Dec 12, 2025.
Featuring an all-star lineup: Carl Raymond of The Gilded Gentleman Podcast, Aaron Radford-Wattley—creator and author of Hot Victorians: Meet Your Dream Man from the Past—and historian and tour guide Kyle Supley — aka the clock whisperer.
So pour yourself some eggnog, cozy up by the fire, and enjoy live shenanigans full of holiday history and vintage comedy.
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The new revival of the musical Ragtime, by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (book by Terrence McNally, based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow), is one of the big hits of the new Broadway season. Lincoln Center Theater has produced the latest rendition, and times have certainly changed since the musical's original Broadway production in 1998.
The new revival makes the show's characters and issues even more relevant for our present day. Along with the fictional character Coalhouse Walker Jr. and the archetypal characters Father, Mother, and Younger Brother, the show features several celebrities and power players from turn-of-the-century New York.
Anna Grace Barlow, who plays Broadway star Evelyn Nesbit, and Rodd Cyrus, who stars as iconic illusionist Harry Houdini, join The Gilded Gentleman for a behind-the-scenes talk about their characters and their experiences performing in the show.
This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon.
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During the 19th century celebrations began to evolve from the once more popular New Year's Day to the beginnings of the Christmas celebrations we know today.
In author Becky Diamond's new book "The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook", Becky shares recipes, stories and historical notes to add glitter and sparkle to today's Christmas festivities. Becky discusses the origins of many of our favorite traditions, which were brought to America by waves of immigrants arriving during the 19th century.
And for modern readers and cooks, she shares some easy-to-make recipes for very special dishes of the Gilded Age that will be a treat for our modern holiday celebrations.
Ths episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon.
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Willa Cather, the beloved American novelist who lived during the height of America's Gilded Age, is perhaps best known for her insightful passionate writing about life on the Nebraska Plains where she spent her childhood.
But Cather's writing and life included much more than that. She spent a significant part of her adult life in Pittsburgh before coming to New York and establishing her life with her partner Edith Lewis in bohemian Greenwich Village. Her work is set in an astonishing array of locations from New York to London to the American Southwest. Cather's characters span the broad range of humanity and are deeply universal in their passions as well as their struggles.
Historian and educator Peter Cipkowski joins The Gilded Gentleman to share his insight on the work and life of the extraordinary and fearless American writer of the early 20th century.
For more information, please visit the National WIlla Cather Center.
This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon
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As New York grew throughout the 19th century so too did crime grow within the burgeoning population. In the early years, there was little in the way of law enforcement except some constables and night watchmen.
By mid-century, the city saw the evolution of TWO police forces, a later the force grew from a loose organization dictated by corruption and cronyism to a professional force led by Theodore Roosevelt in the 1890s.
Esther Crain, guest author and historian and creator of Ephemeral New York, returns to the show to delve deeply into this world of police, crimes and criminals of the Gilded Age.
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On October 19, 2025, the world was shocked to learn of a brazen daylight heist of precious jewels from the Louvre. But this was not the first ambitious heist carried off in broad daylight at the Louvre.
In fact, in 1911, another heist took place - and this time the stolen property was none other than the world-famous "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo Da Vinci.
Join the Gilded Gentleman for the tale of this robbery— an inside job! —and the international search for both the painting and the thief.
This episode originally ran in February 2023, but recent events demanded its return in a newly re-edited, re-mastered edition.
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The height of the Gilded Age also brought about the rise of tabloid journalism. Newspapers competed with one another to see who could expose the most sensational headlines and scandalous stories.
In 1889, Robert Ray Hamilton, the great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton, found himself in a tangle of lies, deceit, forged identity, attempted murder, and fraud that made headlines all over the country.
The story, which went on for nearly two years, has been forgotten today, but author Bill Shaffer brings it all back to light in his book "The Scandalous Hamiltons". Bill joins the show to explore this complex tangle of true crime that shocked Gilded Age readers and will undoubtedly raise an eyebrow even today.
This episode was produced by Kieran Gannon.
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