Bertha Palmer was the wife of Potter Palmer whose famous Chicago hotel, the Palmer House, was one of the grandest of the Gilded Age. Bertha has been compared to the queen of New York society, Mrs. Astor. However, as my guest, historian Tom Miller shares in this week’s show, that comparison minimizes who Bertha Palmer… Continue reading Episode #25: Chicago’s Bertha Palmer: More than Mrs. Astor
Topic: Notable Figures
Episode #24: Where Thrushes Sing and Dreams are Dreamt: The Gardens of Beatrix Farrand
Beatrix Farrand, Edith Wharton’s niece, was born during New York’s Gilded Age and went on to become the first successful female landscape designer of the early 20th century. Her path was not easy since any career for a woman held challenges at the time and landscape design was at that point a men’s domain. But… Continue reading Episode #24: Where Thrushes Sing and Dreams are Dreamt: The Gardens of Beatrix Farrand
Episode #23: Beneath the Gold: The Gilded Age with Tom Meyers of The Bowery Boys
Julian Fellowes’ new series on HBO “The Gilded Age” fascinated viewers with its complex plotlines and endlessly entertaining characters, some of whom were based on actual historical figures. The show depicted the enormity of the age in so many of its social, political and cultural layers. It also raised so many new insights and new viewpoints… Continue reading Episode #23: Beneath the Gold: The Gilded Age with Tom Meyers of The Bowery Boys
Episode #20: Creating Drama with Edith Wharton, Henry James and Jennie Jerome
Edith Wharton’s novels were full of drama of course but so were moments from her own life. Jennie Jerome, Lady Randolph Churchill, the mother of Winston Churchill, had a life of high drama, public scrutiny and moments of happiness as well as tragedy. Join me and my guest, playwright and actor, Anne Undeland as we… Continue reading Episode #20: Creating Drama with Edith Wharton, Henry James and Jennie Jerome
Episode #18: Victory and Apollo: Black Artists Models Hettie Anderson and Thomas McKeller
Gazing up at the dramatic gilded statue of General William Tecumseh Sherman being led into battle by the allegorical figure of Victory in New York’s Grand Army Plaza or staring at the mythological figures that are painted on the Rotunda ceiling of Boston”s Museum of Fine Arts, one can’t help but be struck by the beauty,… Continue reading Episode #18: Victory and Apollo: Black Artists Models Hettie Anderson and Thomas McKeller
Episode #17: Mary Rogers Williams: The Rediscovered Life Of A Gilded Age Impressionist
Eve Kahn, independent scholar and author, calls Mary Rogers Williams “the Mary Cassatt you never heard of”. While Cassatt and Rogers lives differed and they likely never met, the rediscovered life of Gilded Age painter, Mary Rogers Williams is a fascinating tale of late 19th-century artistic circles. From the farmlands of Connecticut, Mary Rogers Williams lived and painted among the famous in New York,… Continue reading Episode #17: Mary Rogers Williams: The Rediscovered Life Of A Gilded Age Impressionist
Episode #14: A Sprig of Witch Hazel: Edith Wharton’s Secret Affair
As writer Edith Wharton began to spend more and more time in Paris during the early years of the 1900s, she made the acquaintance of the American journalist Morton Fullerton. Their meeting grew into a passionate and complicated love affair combining joy and emotional pain. Still, the affair led Wharton to some of her greatest creative moments… Continue reading Episode #14: A Sprig of Witch Hazel: Edith Wharton’s Secret Affair
Episode #12: Social Climber: The Iron Will and Determined Rise of Alva Vanderbilt
The fight for social dominance and acceptance was a battle fought by many Gilded Age wives along with their financial warrior husbands. One of the most famous was Alva Vanderbilt who rose to finally make it through the golden portals into Mrs. Astor’s social circle. Her iron determination resulted in her daughter Consuelo’s seemingly fairytale marriage to a British aristocrat in… Continue reading Episode #12: Social Climber: The Iron Will and Determined Rise of Alva Vanderbilt
Episode #10: Invisible Magicians: Domestic Servants in Gilded Age New York
Join The Gilded Gentleman and Esther Crain, author of The Gilded Age in New York 1870-1914 for a look below stairs! In this show, we’ll take a look at the various roles and responsibilities of domestic staff in grand mansions and even in more modest homes. The Gilded Gentleman will explore what servants did and most importantly who… Continue reading Episode #10: Invisible Magicians: Domestic Servants in Gilded Age New York
Episode #9: The Education of a Snob: Ward Mcallister’s American Aristocracy
The famous Mrs. Astor was credited with building and shaping the Gilded Age elite. At her side and combining forces with her to create “the 400” was the controversial Ward McAllister. McAllister was originally a Southerner who developed a complex persona as the most socially knowledgeable and refined gentleman of the New York elite. Join me for… Continue reading Episode #9: The Education of a Snob: Ward Mcallister’s American Aristocracy