The Gilded Gentleman looks at one of the most legendary figures of the Gilded Age – Caroline Astor, or the Mrs Astor, the ruler and creator of New York’s high society in the early 1870s. Is she anything like the depiction on HBO's The Gilded Age?In collaboration with Southern social climber Ward McAllister, Mrs. Astor essentially created the rules for who was ‘acceptable’ in New York social circles.But she’s also known for her battles with family members — most notably with her nephew (and next door neighbor) William Waldorf Astor. What was behind her unusual motivations? And in what unusual way did she decide to cap her legacy at the end of her life?Carl is joined by Tom Miller, creator of the website Daytonian in Manhattan, documenting the history of New York City, one building at a time. This is a rerun of one of Carl's first episodes of the Gilded Gentleman, re-edited and re-mastered to honor her latest appearance on television.Visit the Bowery Boys website for more information and articles about New York City history.
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Queen of Denver: The Life and Times of Louise Sneed Hill
The Gilded Age was by no means simply an East Coast phenomenon. Wealth, position and social structure evolved across the country as railroads and improved technology pushed the country west. Denver, Colorado, grew from a "tavern town" at the foothills of the Rockies to an important Western center for commerce and society. Social Denver was largely ruled by the Southern-born Louise Sneed Hill whose very different and modern vision for how society could work paved a path for much more -- including new and more modern roles for women. Author Shelby Carr Neuhauser joins Carl for the fascinating look into a true Western woman of the Gilded Age.This episode was edited by Kieran Gannon.
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Frederick Douglass's Gilded Age
The life of Frederick Douglass, the great 19th century statesman, orator, writer and abolitionist, is a triumphantly American story.He was born into slavery in the early years of the 19th century and died at the very height of the Gilded Age. His tremendous talents as a leader brought him out of slavery and into the heart of the Gilded Age as a player in the political worlds of Lincoln, Grant and Hayes.Joining Carl on this episode is scholar and author Connor Williams who traces Douglass's life from his early years in enslavement through his emancipation and travel in and outside America and his role as an abolitionist and supporter of women's suffrage.This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon.Connor has also appeared on the Gilded Gentleman podcast The Adirondacks and Great Camp Sagamore: Retreating to Nature in the Gilded Age
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John Singer Sargent in Paris: The Path to Madame X
Metropolitan Museum of Art curator Stephanie Herdrich joins Carl for an in-depth look at how the career and personal life of Gilded Age artist John Singer Sargent evolved over his ten-year period in Paris from the 1870's to the mid 1880's. Sargent is the subject of a major new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that focuses on this period beginning in his late adolescent years and leading up to the creation of his masterpiece - the grand, imposing and scandalous portrait of Virginie Gautreau, known as "Madame X". Stephanie discusses some of Sargent's greatest works during this period, as well as some of his most important professional and personal relationships, all of which contributed to a boundary breaking artistic vision. This show was edted by Kieran Gannon.
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Augustus Saint-Gaudens: Sculptor of the Gilded Age
The Irish-born Augustus Saint-Gaudens came to this country as a small child and over the course of his career and life, reaching into the early years of the 20th century, became an artist that truly defined a look for America in sculpture. His extraordinary natural talent grew into a master artist who was able to create lifelike depictions in marble and bronze that brought a realism never before seen in American sculpture. Saint-Gauden's style combines realistic imagery, allegory and architectural elements to create unique and very modern experiences for viewers. He's perhaps best known for his monumental casts of Civil War heroes from Admiral Daniel Farragut, General William Tecumseh Sherman and President Abraham Lincoln.Joining The Gilded Gentleman for this episode is Thayer Tolles, the Marica F. Vilcek Curator of American Painting and Sculpture at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Thayer is a noted historian, writer and specialist in Saint-Gaudens life and work. This episode offers a full view of Saint-Gaudens extraordinary life and a detailed look at some of his most famous works. Listeners can also visit the Saint Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire.
The 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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