New York’s Scoundrels and Scalawags

The 1890s was the tail end of the Gilded Age. It was not a ＂Golden Age,＂ it was a veneer, and although the decade is specifically called ＂The Gay Nineties,＂ the gaiety was generally reserved for the top ten percenters. If you were a common working stiff--or worse, a common working ＂stiffette＂--life was not so gay. Most New Yorkers played by the rules of the game, although some fudged a bit. Others, along with the managements of some businesses and some administrations of the municipality, played by totally different rules, successfully gaming the system to their advantage. The few who fought for truth and justice generally went down fighting. These are New York’s scoundrels, scalawags, and scrappers.

John Tauranac is a native New Yorker, born and bred, who has written on New York City’s social and architectural history. His books include Manhattan’s Little Secrets, New York from the Air, The Empire State Building, Elegant New York, and others. He has also written for The New York Times, New York Magazine, New York Newsday, Seaport Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Historic Preservation, and many others.