The Gilded Gentleman

Carl is joined by veteran journalist, writer and tour guide Michael Morgenthal for a journey through the pages of 19th century newspapers.  Michael traces the history of several of our most well known newspapers today including the New York Post and the New York Times as well as how Gilded Age journalists and readers had - in their way - the (nearly) 24 hour news cycle that we are so accustomed to today. By the end of the Gilded Age there were over 20 daily newspapers published in New York City alone. Each has a slightly different focus, much as our papers do today, and they scooped their news in a variety of ways.  This episode takes a look at New York's newspaper history and just what it was like in the Gilded Age. Michael shares the story behind several influential figures including Alexander Hamilton  and famed poet and publisher William Cullen Bryant, leading up to the great wars for sensational journalism fought by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. In addition, you'll discover when newspapers adopted the popular tabloid size, and when actual advertising began to be used to create income.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Carl visits the Museum of the City of New York where he's joined by Collections Manager for Costumes and Textiles, Elizabeth Randolph, to discuss the famous dress Alice Vanderbilt wore to her sister-in-law Alva'a ball, while inspecting the original dress itself. On the evening of March 26, 1883, Alva Vanderbilt threw her famous costume ball to officially open her new "Petit Chateau" on Fifth Avenue and to secure her place in Gilded Age society.  Her sister-in-law, Alice, not to be outdone, arrived at the ball and created  one of the most talked about fashion statements from the Gilded Age to today.  Alice had the famed British-born Parisian couturier Charles Frederick Worth design a gown that represented "electric light" - a new idea in 1883.  Encrusted with gold and silver threads, Alice's gown caught the attention of not only the guests at the ball, but the press whose reports of her dress ranged from the credible to the outrageous. Jose Mora, the noted society photographer of the era, captured Alice in a famous photograph in which Alice, wearing the dress, holds a torch high above her head.  Myths about the dress have circulated for years - that there was a concealed battery back in the bodice, that the dress itself somehow "lit up", and on and on.  Miraculously, the original dress survives today and is in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York. With deep gratitude and thanks to the Museum, I was allowed to see the actual dress and record this interview with Elizabeth Randolph. With the dress laid out before us, we explored the story of what's true, what's not, and just what effect (both visual and social) Alice would have made wearing the dress on the night of Alva's ball.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Renowned historian and author Richard Jones delves deeply into one of the world's most fascinating unsolved series of murders.  True crime fans may think they know the major elements of the grisly set of Jack the Ripper murders and the resulting investigation, but this show uncovers some angles and aspects that shine a wider light into these horrors of late Victorian London. Carl and guest Richard Jones delve into all aspects of the crimes themselves - from what happened, to what clues were and weren't at each murder site, to how the police attempted to quickly find the killer, and to how the press manipulated and were responsible for giving us the impressions of the case we have today.   Richard shares his insights and analysis on possible suspects, why these murders were unlike any others up to this point, and most importantly, offers deeply human insight into just who the victims were themselves - which may surprise you.  Don't miss this insightful look into a set of crimes that still grips the public nearly 150 years after they occurred. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Royal historian and author Tracy Borman returns to The Gilded Gentleman following her appearance on Crown & Scepter: The Coronation Show last year.  Tracy is a noted historian and a frequent guest and commentator on the BBC as well as many documentaries and programs internationally.   Tracy's most recent book "Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter That Changed History" serves as the basis for this episode, along with Tracy's insights on the mother daughter relationships in the lives of two modern monarchs - Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.  Mother daughter relationships can be loving, supportive and at times challenging.  In this episode, Tracy Borman discusses several royal mother/daughter relationships that may have changed history.   Elizabeth I was barely three years old when her father Henry VIII ordered her mother's execution for failing to provide a royal male heir.  Tracy's revelatory new research and insight explains just how Elizabeth honored, and even emulated her mother throughout her own long reign and how she continued to dispel myths that had been created by a malicious court. Like Elizabeth I, neither Queen Victoria nor Queen Elizabeth II ever thought that they would be queens themselves and Tracy offers additional in-depth insight as to how these women - along with their own mothers influenced the throne.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Just over a year ago, as Broadway opened a revival of the classic Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd, The Gilded Gentleman was honored to sit down with one of the stars of the original 1979 Broadway production.Sarah Rice, who went on to a distinguished career in opera as well as leading roles in musical theatre, originated the role of Johanna playing opposite such Broadway legends as Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou. Sarah covered how she got started in theatre, came to New York with two cats and a piano to join the cast of the original The Fantasticks, and then was cast in her career changing role as Broadway's first Johanna.  Perhaps most fascinating in Sarah's chat with Carl were her reminiscences and recollections of being directed and prepared for the role by the great masters Hal Prince and Stephen Sondhiem themselves.  Sarah ultimately became one of today's most important interpreters of Stephen  Sondheim's music.  Sarah passed away suddenly earlier this winter and her loss is a profound one for those who knew her personally and those who were touched by her beautiful voice and many appearances on stage.   As a tribute to her memory and her artistry, The Gilded Gentleman is revisiting the interview portion of last Spring's show as a tribute to her memory.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Join Carl and  British country house historian Curt DiCamillo for a look into the world of the Edwardian country house.  Audiences became fascinated in these houses through the blockbuster Julian Fellowes series "Downton Abbey" and his earlier film "Gosford Park",  with their colliding worlds of upstairs and downstairs and interlocking social dramas. Curt discusses this fascinating period in British history and how the country house in Edwardian times brought society closer to a modern age. Curt explains how country houses as estates for the British aristocracy evolved over centuries and how they reached their height in the reign of King Edward VII, who took the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria. The country house greatly expanded during this time and some interiors reflected influences from Britain's growing empire.  Grand dinners, shooting parties, and elegant tea parties were all backdrops to great social intrigue and sometimes scandal.  In this show, Curt shares several examples of great Edwardian country houses (including one current royal estate), what they looked like, how they operated, and how they can be visited today.  The Edwardian period was a glittering one, much like America's Gilded Age, but a short one, which vanished from view as Britain and Western Europe entered a world-changing war.  Related show with Curt DiCamillo:  The British Crown Jewels: History and Mystery Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fashion historian and author, Dr. Elizabeth L. Block returns to The Gilded Gentleman for a truly "undercover" investigation.  This time, Liz joins Carl to discuss the world of corsets, bustles, straps and stockings, all of which comprised the undergarment engineering that helped make the glorious gowns by Worth and other designers appear as glamorous as they did. In addition to the architecture and the food, it is the fashion of the Gilded Age that always elicits comments and sighs at the very beauty and craftsmanship of the great gowns that swept by on ballroom floors.  But the stunning and costly gowns, whether for a ball or for wear during the day, required a complex combination of undergarments to not only make the wearer feel comfortable, but also to give the outer clothing its required shape.  Dr. Elizabeth Block joins Carl for a discussion that includes insight into not only what garments were required, but also just how they were made and how they were worn.  You may be surprised at just how comfortable and wearable some undergarments actually were.  Liz and Carl's discussion includes a look at such curious accessories as the "lobster bustle" and even a corset for men. Related episode:  Gilded Age French Fashion: The House of Worth and Beyond   LinksElizabeth Block -  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

 The small two acre square known since the 1830's as Gramercy Park has also been called "America's Bloomsbury". Taking the reference from London's famous neighborhood once home to many great writers and artists, New York's Gramercy Park has similarly included noted cultural icons from architect Stanford White to actor Edwin Booth to the great politician Samual  Tilden.  Wandering along the park today it's easy to gain a view back into the past - many of the original Greek Revival brick townhouses and brownstone mansions remain, some still in private hands.The park in the center is one of the most unique in America - it is a private park, not a city property and it's upkeep has been managed since its inception in the early 19th century by the property owners around the park itself.  Writer and historian Keith Taillon joins Carl for this episode to look back into  this hidden pocket of New York City's past and unlock its history. The Gilded Gentleman website Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Carl is joined by noted architect, interior designer and author Phillip James Dodd for an in-depth discussion of the "look" of the Gilded Age  - a style known as American Beaux-Arts.  Architecture constructed during the height of America's Gilded Age most certainly had a distinctive look.  It was a uniquely American combination of stylistic elements of classical antiquity, the Renaissance palaces of the Medici, as well as the more flamboyant styles of France's Belle Epoque.  But just how does one define the eclectic style that came to be known as American Beaux-Arts and who were its most famous and influential practitioners?  In this episode Carl and Phillip James Dodd discuss these concepts in general to arrive at a definition and understanding, but also take a look at major examples, such as the facade and Great Hall or the Metropolitan Museum of Art,  the New York Public Library and the Morgan Library, as well as the architects who created them:  Richard Morris Hunt, Charles Follen McKim, and the architectural team of Carrè re and Hastings.  After having listened to this unique episode, you'll look at the Gilded Age and New York City with whole new eyes.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the previous episode "Dandies: Gentleman of Style from the 19th Century to Today", Carl was joined by cultural historian and maker of fine custom clothing, Nathaniel Lee Adams for a look at this most interesting breed of society's tastemaking men.  In this new episode, Carl and Natty take the discussion further and focus on the early 20th century, when a new brand of dandy was emerging  - one with style perhaps, but also often tinged by scandal. Being a "dandy" is generally thought to be more than just being a stylish dresser.  There is attitude, perspective and perhaps even a sense of the revolutionary that ties many of history's so-called dandies together.  In this episode, Carl and Natty start with the world of the dandy immediately following the death of Oscar Wilde and begin with a discussion of the British author and caricaturist Max Beerbohm and the  American self-proclaimed inventor of the tuxedo, Evander Berry Wall.  They then discuss the fascinating, complex black American boxer Jack Johnson, who in order to fight not only his opponents but the pervasive prejudice of his time,  created a boundary-breaking persona of style laced with scandal.  Returning to Europe the discussion continues Oscar Wilde's own nephew and writer (and also boxer),  Arthur Cravan, the War Poets including Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon, the minimalist Austrian architect Adolf Loos and finally one of the most polarizing personalities of them all, the flamboyant Italian poet and would be revolutionary, Gabriele D'Anunzio.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.