The new revival of the musical <a href="https://www.lct.org/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23263195900&gbraid=0AAAABCB_Ux6Aidbvshj5fuB7ikGUKh5uQ&gclid=Cj0KCQiA6NTJBhDEARIsAB7QHD3XRv1mFUfS1jLhWAWtyX-j8isfhAnsoGY9B5K_0uMSeyL7grFRc4caAvsIEALw_wcB" target="_blank">Ragtime</a>, by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (book by Terrence McNally, based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow), is one of the big hits of the new Broadway season. <a href="https://www.lct.org/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23263195900&gbraid=0AAAABCB_Ux6Aidbvshj5fuB7ikGUKh5uQ&gclid=Cj0KCQiA6NTJBhDEARIsAB7QHD3XRv1mFUfS1jLhWAWtyX-j8isfhAnsoGY9B5K_0uMSeyL7grFRc4caAvsIEALw_wcB">Lincoln Center Theater</a> has produced the latest rendition, and times have certainly changed since the musical's original Broadway production in 1998. The new revival makes the show's characters and issues even more relevant for our present day. Along with the fictional character Coalhouse Walker Jr. and the archetypal characters Father, Mother, and Younger Brother, the show features several celebrities and power players from turn-of-the-century New York. Anna Grace Barlow, who plays Broadway star Evelyn Nesbit, and Rodd Cyrus, who stars as iconic illusionist Harry Houdini, join The Gilded Gentleman for a behind-the-scenes talk about their characters and their experiences performing in the show. This episode was produced and edited by <a href="https://www.kierangannon.com">Kieran Gannon.</a> Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;The new revival of the musical &lt;a href="https://www.lct.org/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23263195900&amp;gbraid=0AAAABCB_Ux6Aidbvshj5fuB7ikGUKh5uQ&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA6NTJBhDEARIsAB7QHD3XRv1mFUfS1jLhWAWtyX-j8isfhAnsoGY9B5K_0uMSeyL7grFRc4caAvsIEALw_wcB" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ragtime&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (book by Terrence McNally, based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow), is one of the big hits of the new Broadway season. &lt;a href="https://www.lct.org/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23263195900&amp;gbraid=0AAAABCB_Ux6Aidbvshj5fuB7ikGUKh5uQ&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiA6NTJBhDEARIsAB7QHD3XRv1mFUfS1jLhWAWtyX-j8isfhAnsoGY9B5K_0uMSeyL7grFRc4caAvsIEALw_wcB"&gt;Lincoln Center Theater&lt;/a&gt; has produced the latest rendition, and times have certainly changed since the musical's original Broadway production in 1998. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new revival makes the show's characters and issues even more relevant for our present day. Along with the fictional character Coalhouse Walker Jr. and the archetypal characters Father, Mother, and Younger Brother, the show features several celebrities and power players from turn-of-the-century New York. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anna Grace Barlow, who plays Broadway star &lt;strong&gt;Evelyn Nesbit,&lt;/strong&gt; and Rodd Cyrus, who stars as iconic illusionist &lt;strong&gt;Harry Houdini,&lt;/strong&gt; join The Gilded Gentleman for a behind-the-scenes talk about their characters and their experiences performing in the show. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This episode was produced and edited by &lt;a href="https://www.kierangannon.com"&gt;Kieran Gannon.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

The actors who play Harry Houdini and Evelyn Nesbit in the new Broadway revival "Ragtime" find the real-life inspirations behind their roles.

Inside 'Ragtime': The Return of an American Musical Epic

During the 19th century celebrations began to evolve from the once more popular New Year's Day to the beginnings of the Christmas celebrations we know today.  In author Becky Diamond's new book "<a href="https://www.globepequot.com/9781493088423/the-gilded-age-christmas-cookbook/">The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook</a>", Becky shares recipes, stories and historical notes to add glitter and sparkle to today's Christmas festivities. Becky discusses the origins of many of our favorite traditions, which were brought to America by waves of immigrants arriving during the 19th century. And for modern readers and cooks, she shares some easy-to-make recipes for very special dishes of the Gilded Age that will be a treat for our modern holiday celebrations. Ths episode was produced and edited by <a href="https://www.kierangannon.com">Kieran Gannon. </a> Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;During the 19th century celebrations began to evolve from the once more popular New Year's Day to the beginnings of the Christmas celebrations we know today.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In author Becky Diamond's new book &lt;strong&gt;"&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.globepequot.com/9781493088423/the-gilded-age-christmas-cookbook/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;",&lt;/strong&gt; Becky shares recipes, stories and historical notes to add glitter and sparkle to today's Christmas festivities. Becky discusses the origins of many of our favorite traditions, which were brought to America by waves of immigrants arriving during the 19th century. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;And for modern readers and cooks, she shares some easy-to-make recipes for very special dishes of the Gilded Age that will be a treat for our modern holiday celebrations. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Ths episode was produced and edited by &lt;a href="https://www.kierangannon.com"&gt;Kieran Gannon. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Food historian and author Becky Diamond returns to the show  to share some insight into celebrating Christmas Gilded Age style.  

The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook

<a href="https://www.willacather.org">Willa Cather,</a> the beloved American novelist who lived during the height of America's Gilded Age, is perhaps best known for her insightful passionate writing about life on the Nebraska Plains where she spent her childhood. But Cather's writing and life included much more than that. She spent a significant part of her adult life in Pittsburgh before coming to New York and establishing her life with her partner Edith Lewis in bohemian <a href="https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2019/04/greenwich-village-in-the-1960s-a-stroll-through-an-era-of-preservation-and-protest.html">Greenwich Village</a>. Her work is set in an astonishing array of locations from New York to London to the American Southwest. Cather's characters span the broad range of humanity and are deeply universal in their passions as well as their struggles. Historian and educator <a href="https://www.willacather.org/profile/board/peter-cipkowski">Peter Cipkowski</a> joins The Gilded Gentleman to share his insight on the work and life of the extraordinary and fearless American writer of the early 20th century.  For more information, please visit the <a href="https://www.willacather.org">National WIlla Cather Center.</a>This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.willacather.org"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Willa Cather,&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; the beloved American novelist who lived during the height of America's Gilded Age, is perhaps best known for her insightful passionate writing about life on the Nebraska Plains where she spent her childhood. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But Cather's writing and life included much more than that. She spent a significant part of her adult life in Pittsburgh before coming to New York and establishing her life with her partner Edith Lewis in bohemian &lt;a href="https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2019/04/greenwich-village-in-the-1960s-a-stroll-through-an-era-of-preservation-and-protest.html"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Greenwich Village&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Her work is set in an astonishing array of locations from New York to London to the American Southwest. Cather's characters span the broad range of humanity and are deeply universal in their passions as well as their struggles. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Historian and educator &lt;a href="https://www.willacather.org/profile/board/peter-cipkowski"&gt;Peter Cipkowski&lt;/a&gt; joins The Gilded Gentleman to share his insight on the work and life of the extraordinary and fearless American writer of the early 20th century.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For more information, please visit the &lt;a href="https://www.willacather.org"&gt;National WIlla Cather Center.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

You may know author Willa Cather from O Pioneers!, set on the Nebraska prairie, but you may not know the surprising twists of her biography.

Willa Cather's Gilded Age

As New York grew throughout the 19th century so too did crime grow within the burgeoning population. In the early years, there was little in the way of law enforcement except some constables and night watchmen.  By mid-century, the city saw the evolution of TWO police forces, a later the force grew from a loose organization dictated by corruption and cronyism to a professional force led by <a href="https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2023/09/teddy-roosevelts-wild-kingdom-conservation-history-with-ken-burns.html">Theodore Roosevelt </a>in the 1890s.  <a href="https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2022/07/invisible-magicians-domestic-servants-in-gilded-age-new-york.html">Esther Crain</a>, guest author and historian and creator of <a href="https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com">Ephemeral New York</a>, returns to the show to delve deeply into this world of police, crimes and criminals of the Gilded Age.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;As New York grew throughout the 19th century so too did crime grow within the burgeoning population. In the early years, there was little in the way of law enforcement except some constables and night watchmen.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;By mid-century, the city saw the evolution of TWO police forces, a later the force grew from a loose organization dictated by corruption and cronyism to a professional force led by &lt;a href="https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2023/09/teddy-roosevelts-wild-kingdom-conservation-history-with-ken-burns.html"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Theodore Roosevelt&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/a&gt;in the 1890s.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2022/07/invisible-magicians-domestic-servants-in-gilded-age-new-york.html"&gt;Esther Crain&lt;/a&gt;, guest author and historian and creator of &lt;a href="https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ephemeral New York&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, returns to the show to delve deeply into this world of police, crimes and criminals of the Gilded Age. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

A look at the evolution of law enforcement in New York City during the mid and late 19th century. 

Rogues Gallery: Fighting Crime in the Gilded Age

On October 19, 2025, the world was shocked to learn of a brazen daylight heist of precious jewels from <a href="https://www.louvre.fr/en">the Louvre.</a> But this was not the first ambitious heist carried off in broad daylight at the Louvre.In fact, in 1911, <a href="https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2023/02/stealing-a-smile-the-theft-of-the-mona-lisa-paris-1911.html">another heist took place</a> - and this time the stolen property was none other than the world-famous "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo Da Vinci. <a href="https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2023/02/stealing-a-smile-the-theft-of-the-mona-lisa-paris-1911.html">Join the Gilded Gentleman</a> for the tale of this robbery— an inside job! —and the international search for both the painting and the thief. This episode originally ran in February 2023, but recent events demanded its return in a newly re-edited, re-mastered edition.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;On October 19, 2025, the world was shocked to &lt;strong&gt;learn of a brazen daylight heist of precious jewels from &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.louvre.fr/en"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;the Louvre&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/a&gt; But this was not the first ambitious heist carried off in broad daylight at the Louvre.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In fact, in 1911, &lt;a href="https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2023/02/stealing-a-smile-the-theft-of-the-mona-lisa-paris-1911.html"&gt;another heist took place&lt;/a&gt; - and this time the stolen property was none other than the world-famous&lt;strong&gt; "Mona Lisa"&lt;/strong&gt; by Leonardo Da Vinci. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2023/02/stealing-a-smile-the-theft-of-the-mona-lisa-paris-1911.html"&gt;Join the Gilded Gentleman&lt;/a&gt; for the tale of this robbery— an inside job! —and the international search for both the painting and the thief. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This episode originally ran in February 2023, but recent events demanded its return in a newly re-edited, re-mastered edition. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

A truly brazen theft from the Louvre is the subject of this week's show -- from the year 1911.

The First Theft from the Louvre

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. 

thegildedgentleman.com

The Gilded Gentleman

Details

Recent Episodes