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The Bradley-Martin Ball
The backlash against this ball finds a parallel in today’s current economic situation, as the excesses of Wall Street and the free-for-all spending of bailout money by executives has evoked as much...
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The Four Hundred
Boston had its Brahmins, Philadelphia its Main Line, and Virginia its First Families; however, the upper class of New York, unlike those venerable cities, did not remain unassailed and unsullied by...
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The New York Social Season
During the 1870s and 1880s, the social season was divided into two: winter and summer. The winter season stretched from mid-November until the onset of Lent, and was marked by the opening of the opera...
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The Waldorf-Astoria
The Waldorf-Astoria was born from a feud. As we explored in the discussion of New York’s Four Hundred, after the death of her father-in-law, Mrs. William B. Astor Jr (Caroline) declared herself “Mrs....
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The Edwardian Publishing Industry
Much as today, the publishing industry of the Edwardian era wrestled with such familiar issues as distribution, declining interest in reading, literary fiction versus “trash” for the masses,...
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The Armory Show, 1913
Modern and avant-garde art introduced itself to 1913 New York much against the latter’s will. Since the emergence of Impressionism, many other shocking developments in artistic expression set the world...
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Your Huddled Masses Yearning to Breathe Free: Ellis Island
Gilded Age America saw not only a boom in millionaires, but a boom in immigration. During this era, approximately 10 million immigrants entered the United States, hungry for religious freedom and...
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The Flatiron Building and 23 Skidoo!
Flatiron Building, c1903 I haven’t already noticed, I have a particular fondness for slang. Though the phrase “23 Skidoo” was popularized in the 1890s, it is indelibly associated with the strong draft...
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The Museum of the City of New York Presents: Gilded New York
From the Press Release… Museum of the City of New York Opens Tiffany & Co. Foundation Gallery and Gilded New York, the inaugural Exhibition Exhibition showcases beautiful design objects from New...
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Happy Birthday Delmonico’s!
‘s 44th St. and 5th Ave. N.Y., 1898 Delmonico’s turned 180 years old this week, and its current incarnation turned up and turned out in style to celebrate the amazing milestone with Gilded Age...
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