The Gilded Gentleman

As Netflix launches a new adaptation of the beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder series "Little House on the Prairie" this summer, fans new and old cannot help be enchanted by the iconic 1970s television adaptation as well—written, directed, and produced by Michael Landon, who played the role of "Pa".  

Joining The Gilded Gentleman table for a look back at the series is original cast member Alison Arngrim, who played the role of Nellie Oleson, the bratty, selfish daughter of mercantile owners Nels and Harriet Oleson, and became a character we all just loved to hate. 

Alison discusses what it was like behind-the-scenes on the show as well as her life now.  She currently tours internationally with her one-woman show "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch," playing to sell-out audiences, and is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and actor.   

This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon.

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It's easy to conjure images of the high Gilded Age when seeing the great mansions of Newport or elsewhere, but the origins of that grand, flamboyant style began elsewhere.  

The idea of a modern French-inspired mansion with Renaissance influences was new when LeGrand Lockwood commissioned his estate in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the mid-1860s. For a time, it was the grandest home in America, exceeding even the opulence and elegance of the White House. Architects and designers who would later put their stamp on the palaces of the Gilded Age, such as the Herter Brothers, Leon Marcotte, and George Platt, all contributed to the creation of Lockwood's own vision. 

Passing to the Mathew family upon Lockwood's untimely death, it remained a private home until the 1930s. Today, it has been painstakingly restored as a historic house museum and National Historic Landmark. Astonishingly, the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion contains much of its original furniture and details, so visitors today can really imagine a lifestyle and style that truly launched the Gilded Age. 

Join The Gilded Gentleman for this very special on-location episode recorded at the Mansion with a walkthrough by decorative arts historian Ulysses Dietz and a talk with Executive Director Dr. Susan Gilgore.

This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon

 

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As grand mansions and country houses were built during America's Gilded Age, an integral part of any estate design was an equally grand and impressive garden. Drawing on European traditions, great Gilded Age gardens ranged from the very formal to a more natural style that incorporated the surrounding countryside. 

The most successful garden designer of the late 19th century was the extraordinary Beatrix Farrand. Establishing herself as a designer with exceptional talent and a unique point of view, she competed in a profession largely dominated by men. 

Her designs, a few of which can still be seen today, including the gardens at Washington, DC's Dumbarton Oaks, revolutionized American garden design and showed her talent not only as a landscape architect but as a true artist. 

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Historian and academic Nancy Unger joins The Gilded Gentleman to delve into the social politics of divorce in the Gilded Age.  She discusses several high-profile cases of the 19th century; even the Astors and Vanderbilts were not immune. 

Throughout history, marriage has functioned as a prerequisite for one's role in an accepted society and have also served as business deals, empire-building, and, in some cases, actual love matches. Thus -- they were often very difficult to end.

Throughout much of the 19th century, the idea of dissolving a marriage through divorce was nearly unthinkable for many and certainly caused the wife to be excluded from society as a pariah. Yet, some women fought against the constraints of an unacceptable marriage and the judgments of an unforgiving society. 

NOTE: This show has one reference to self-harm. 

This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon

 

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Have you ever wondered how many of the famous Gilded Age families kept cats as pets? The answer may surprise you. Cats were a constant presence in the lives of New Yorkers of the era and often served very specific, even professional roles.

Author and “cat historian” Peggy Gavan joins the Gilded Gentleman for a delightful exploration of some of the Gilded Age’s most notable felines — from Nicodemus, the scrappy star of New York’s first cat show in 1895, to Buzzer, America’s most photographed cat, and several others.

She also traces the emergence of crucial institutions dedicated to feline welfare, including the ASPCA, other humane societies, and the development of widespread veterinary care to protect our feline friends.

Peggy Gavan is the creator of the website The Hatching Cat of Gotham and also leads historical cat-themed tours of New York City. 

This show was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon.

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