The Gilded Gentleman

Founded in Milan in 1913 by the Italian brothers Mario and Martino Prada, the original business focused on producing and selling luxury leather goods to an aristocratic and royal elite.  

With the advent of ready-to-wear and the expansion of fashion retail in the 1970s, Prada entered the global market under the direction of the founder's granddaughter, Miuccia Prada. The now iconic black nylon backpack featuring the silver Prada logo became one of the most sought-after fashion accessories as the brand expanded into women's and men's wear lines.   

Fashion historian Natalie Nudell joins the Gilded Gentleman table to discuss the evolution of the brand and how the influences of Fashion Week, retail boutique expansion and the launch of sub-brand Miu Miu all contributed to a modern fashion brand projecting style, power, and authority. 

Natalie Nudell is the author of "In American Fashion: Ruth Finley's Fashion Calendar."

This show was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon.

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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. They were the bachelors.

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 this new social class.

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".

This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon.

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On the morning of November 7, 1878, it was discovered that the tomb of wealthy Gilded Age merchant A. T. Stewart had been opened and his body taken.   

Although this was shocking, the idea of graves being opened and bodies stolen was not new, and in fact, it became a fairly common occurrence during the 19th century and before. Bodies were snatched for a variety of reasons, including ransom, but more often to serve as specimens for the expanding medical profession to use in research and training.  

In this episode, cemetery historian and tour guide James Henry takes us on a journey through the 19th century, sharing tales of the most infamous bodysnatchers, Burke and Hare in 1820s Scotland, the attempted body snatching of President Abraham Lincoln, and the lengths 19th-century folk went to to ensure their loved ones' graves were safe from criminals.  

Additionally, we'll examine how the practice of body snatching influenced writers such as Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Charles Dickens.   

And James shares the mysterious ending of the curious tale of just what happened to the body of A.T. Stewart. 

This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon

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Celebrities ranging from Oscar Wilde and Sarah Bernhardt to Mark Twain and Walt Whitman all made their way to the top-floor studio in Manhattan’s Union Square—with its tiny elevator—to have their images immortalized by Napoleon Sarony, America's most famous photographer during the Gilded Age. 

Sarony’s genius lay in his ability to stage a photograph using poses, costumes, and makeshift sets, all designed to allow the essence of his subject to emerge. As a result, the portraits he created of so many of the era’s leading figures have become their defining, iconic images.

But who was Napoleon Sarony himself? In this episode, Dr. Erin Pauwels, author and scholar, joins The Gilded Gentleman at the table to discuss the subject of her latest book Napoleon Sarony’s Living Pictures and to delve into Sarony’s eccentricities and genius. The show also explores questions of copyright and branding, revealing how, largely through Sarony’s work, the modern media celebrity image factory was born."

This show was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon.

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In honor of Women's History Month -- a classic episode from the Bowery Boys! Within just a few decades – between the 1880s and the 1920s – so much social change occurred within American life, upending so many cultural norms and advancing so many important social issues, that these years became known as the Progressive Era. And at the forefront of many of these changes were women.

In this show, Greg Young visits two important New York City social landmarks of this era —Henry Street Settlement, founded by Lillian Wald on the Lower East Side, and the Cabrini Shrine, where Mother Frances X. Cabrini continued her work with New York’s Italian American population.

Featuring special guests Tanya Bielski-Braham, Beckett Graham, Julie Golia, Cherie Sprosty and Katie Vogel.

This episode originally ran in 2019 in the Bowery Boys Podcast feed as 'Saving the City: Women of the Progresive Era' .

The exhibition Taking Care of Brooklyn: Stories of Sickness and Health ran from May 31, 2019 to June 05, 2020 at The Brooklyn Historical Society (now The Center for Brooklyn History).

Visit the Bowery Boys website to see images from this show..

 

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