Our images of the Gilded Age seem so often to be of the world of adults, dancing at balls, dining at grand dinners, or just as often struggling to get by on the streets or in the tenements as the tremendous dichotomy of the haves, and the have nearly nothings existed side by side,

as America's great cities expanded post-Civil War.

But right in the middle of all this were, of course, the children,

whose realities often mirrored that of their parents,

whether in satin dresses or patched together clothing,

or something in between. In this very special show with historian and author Esther Crane,

we take a look at the world of the children during this age, and as we did in our show on the

lives of domestic servants, try to give them their voices through some unique documents written in their own words.

We'll take a look at how New York City in this particular era responded to the needs of children

from educating them, regulating unsafe or inappropriate work conditions,

and allowing them to do perhaps what children do best play.

It's so often been said for centuries that children should be seen and not heard.

However, Esther and I will do our best to make sure that at least several of them from the Gilded Gentleman History podcast

where every other week we journey into worlds, light and dark, of America's Gilded Age,

France's Belle-Epoch, and England's late Victorian and Edwardian eras.

One image of children at various points in history is that they were often treated as little adults.

Particularly in the Gilded Age elite and into the middle classes, children were often dressed

like their parents and expected to behave with the same complicated, overwrought system of manners

and etiquette, that in theory at least ensured their parents'

niche in society. For other children, the reality was far more tenuous. Many less fortunate

families sent their children to work in conditions that would range from learning a trade

and helping in the family business to being sent to factories with the

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