Topic: Notable Figures

Many people are curious about which of the famous Gilded Age families (and even those not on Fifth Avenue) had cats as pets — and the answer may surprise you. Cats nonetheless were a constant in Gilded Age New York and often performed very specific, even professional roles. Author and unofficial “cat historian” Peggy Gavan joins the Gilded Gentleman table for a look at some of the Gilded Age’s most famous cats from… Continue reading Episode #130: Cats of the Gilded Age

As the Gilded Age waned, the Progressive Era took hold with its focus on improving living and working conditions for the average person. New York was a center for many changes and innovations many of which were led by extraordinary, committed and influential women. In celebration of Women’s History Month, The Gilded Gentleman and the Bowery Boys offer an encore presentation of… Continue reading The Women Who Saved New York: From the Bowery Boys Archive

Dr. Carla Peterson, author of “Black Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth Century New York,” has been a pioneer in uncovering and sharing the story of New York’s wealthy Black entrepreneurial elite through the Gilded Age. Exemplified by the storyline of Peggy Scott and her family in the HBO series “The Gilded Age,” this story adds… Continue reading New York’s Gilded Age Black Elite ENCORE

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… Continue reading Episode #122: Rediscovering Edith Wharton’s First Book