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 "The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook", 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.

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Willa Cather, 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 Greenwich Village. 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 Peter Cipkowski 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 National WIlla Cather Center.

This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon

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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 Theodore Roosevelt in the 1890s.

Esther Crain, guest author and historian and creator of Ephemeral New York, returns to the show to delve deeply into this world of police, crimes and criminals of the Gilded Age.

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On October 19, 2025, the world was shocked to learn of a brazen daylight heist of precious jewels from the Louvre. But this was not the first ambitious heist carried off in broad daylight at the Louvre.

In fact, in 1911, another heist took place - and this time the stolen property was none other than the world-famous "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Join the Gilded Gentleman 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.

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The height of the Gilded Age also brought about the rise of tabloid journalism. Newspapers competed with one another to see who could expose the most sensational headlines and scandalous stories.

In 1889, Robert Ray Hamilton, the great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton, found himself in a tangle of lies, deceit, forged identity, attempted murder, and fraud that made headlines all over the country.

The story, which went on for nearly two years, has been forgotten today, but author Bill Shaffer brings it all back to light in his book "The Scandalous Hamiltons". Bill joins the show to explore this complex tangle of true crime that shocked Gilded Age readers and will undoubtedly raise an eyebrow even today.

This episode was produced by Kieran Gannon.

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In 2013, John Cooper, an expert on Oscar Wilde, made a surprising discovery. While researching aspects of Wilde's famous 1882 American lecture tour, he came upon a lengthy article written and copyrighted by Wilde in 1885 on his philosophies of dress.

What made this unique was that this significant piece of writing by Oscar had seemingly been forgotten or lost to history.

This episode marks the publication of a new edition of John's book Oscar Wilde on Dress which includes the original essay, as well as extensive background and supplemental material to put not only the essay but also Oscar's life into perspective.

Wilde was passionate about the dress reform movement in the late 19th century, which sought to liberate women from the constraints of a male-dominated society. This fascinating essay, along with John's commentary and additional resources, sheds new light on how Oscar thought not only about dress, but about larger issues of beauty, freedom, and gender.

Find more about John Cooper's book "Oscar Wilde on Dress"

This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon

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Ulysses S. Grant, one of the most important and consequential presidents, is also one of the most misunderstood.

Ulysses Dietz, Grant's great-great grandson, joins The Gilded Gentleman to share his perspective on the lives of Grant and his wife Julia.

Ulysses discusses how the couple approached the beginnings of the Gilded Age from both a social and politicial standpoint, expounding upon the story from Grants’ transformation of the White House to establishing their lives in the ballrooms of the Vanderbitls in New York City.

This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon.

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As the new feature film Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale opens worldwide, we see for the final time the elegant, glamorous and always dramatic world of Lord and Lady Grantham and their family. We also have a chance to look back at the evolving fashion and hairstyles of Downton's characters as they have evolved from the series debut set in 1912 up to this final film set in 1930.

Joining The Gilded Gentleman table to trace this fashion history is listener favorite Dr. Elizabeth L. Block, who takes us from the high Edwardian style we saw with Violet, the Dowager Countess, to the body hugging slinky styles of Coco Chanel we see on Lady Mary in this latest film.

We also explore the flapper look, the influence of war years on fashion and how the great cultural forces such as the Ballets Russes all influence the styles of the Crawley sisters. And we even take a look downstairs and talk about how styles for domestic staff were shifting as well.

This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon.

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