Bachelor Pad: Gilded Age Interior Designers and Their Homes

The late 19th century in America saw the emergence of a new social phenomenon—perhaps not entirely new—a class of young men who chose not to follow a traditional path to marriage. The choice was driven by a number of reasons, and the social image of many of these men ranged from “rake” to “artiste” and many variations in between. 

Literature and the media all attempted to characterize the curious, mysterious, yet often dramatic lives of the new Bachelor.

In this show, author and historian R. Tripp Evans joins the Gilded Gentleman to examine Gilded Age bachelor culture, specifically focusing on several of the most famous, notably Ogden Codman, Jr., and Henry Davis Sleeper, who pursued careers in interior design. In doing so, they not only helped to define a new style for a growing modern America but also defined their own personal legacies. The legacies they left are now historic house museums open to the public, where today’s visitors can see their vision and begin to understand their legacies. R. Tripp Evans is the author of “The Importance of Being Furnished: Four Bachelors at Home”.