Art, Ambition & the Gilded Age: The Miniature Painter Revealed with Kathleen Langone
Civics & Coffee: A History Podcast
09/02/25
•23m
About
Comments
Featured In
What can a miniature portrait painter teach us about fame, fortune, and forgotten women of the Gilded Age?
In this episode I welcome historian and author Kathleen Langone to explore the fascinating life and career of Amalia Kussner — one of the Gilded Age’s most sought-after portrait artists. Drawing from her new book, The Miniature Painter Revealed: Amalia Kussner's Gilded Age Pursuit of Fame and Fortune, Langone discusses Kussner’s remarkable rise, her elite clientele (including American and European royalty), and her lasting impact on art and society.
The conversation also dives into how The Gilded Age HBO series overlaps with Kussner’s world, the challenges of writing about a lesser-known historical figure, and the overlooked contributions of women artists during this glamorous and turbulent period in American history. Be sure to check out Langone's podcast, People Hidden in History and check out her website.
Previous Episode
Reconstruction Beyond the South: The Broken Promises to Mexican Americans
August 30, 2025
•16m
Reconstruction is often taught as a Southern story, focused on the political, social, and legal changes that followed the Civil War. But for Mexican Americans living in the American Southwest, this era brought a different set of challenges, betrayals, and broken promises.
Join me as I explore the Mexican American experience during Reconstruction. Learn how laws and treaties meant to protect land rights and citizenship were frequently ignored by both local and federal authorities. From legal battles over property to systemic efforts that erased Mexican American identity, learn how Reconstruction had implications far beyond the South.
Next Episode
Landscape of Ruin: The Southern Economy during Reconstruction
September 6, 2025
•17m
How do you replace enslaved labor and rebuild an economy?
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the Southern economy didn’t just have to recover; it had to reinvent itself. Join me as I explore how systems like sharecropping and the cotton lien system emerged to replace slavery, and why these systems often kept both Black and white farmers trapped in poverty.
This episode unpacks the economic realities of Reconstruction, revealing how freedom didn’t always come with opportunity—and how the structures put in place during this era shaped the South for generations.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted