George L. Leslie and the Gilded Age of Bank Robbery (Crimes of Old New York)
Release Date: 11/20/2024
The Life and Death of Elliott Speer (Murder by the Book)
The Art of Crime
The son of an internationally renowned Presbyterian preacher, Elliott Speer became headmaster of the Mount Hermon School for Boys, a religiously oriented boarding school, in 1932. On the night of September 14, 1934, a trespasser murdered Speer in his own home, devastating his family, his colleagues, and the rest of the community. Show notes and full transcripts available at If you'd like to support the show, please consider beocming a patron at .
info_outline
Introducing Season 5 . . .
The Art of Crime
Introducing season 5 . . . Show notes and full transcripts available at . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at . You can also sign up for an Apple subscription for bonus content, early access, and ad-free listening.
info_outline
Ask Me Anything (Crimes of Old New York)
The Art of Crime
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions and comments! As promised, here's a link to Netherlandish Proverbs: . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at .
info_outline
The Practice Run (Crimes of Old New York)
The Art of Crime
In 1990, two men entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and stole something like $500 million worth of art, in what became the most infamous art heist in U.S. history. Today, we're joined by retired museum professional Frederick J. Fisher, who thinks that the Gardner affair may have been a sequel to an earlier effort to rob a different institution, the Hyde Collection, located in Glens Falls, New York. Fisher explores the theory in a new book titled The Practice Run, which is out May 15, 2025, so go order a copy! If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming...
info_outline
The Devil Wears Rothko (Crimes of Old New York)
The Art of Crime
Today, we're joined by acclaimed author and filmmaker Barry Avrich to talk about one of the most colossal art fraud cases in New York history. It all started when a woman named Glafira Rosales walked into the storied Knoedler Gallery with a painting she claimed to have been created by Mark Rothko. The ensuing fiasco ended in catastrophe for the gallery. The Devil Wears Rothko by Barry Avrich is out June 24, 2025, and you can pre-order a copy today. If you'd like to support The Art of Crime, please consider becoming a patron at .
info_outline
Shooting Andy Warhol: Valerie Solanas (Re-Release)
The Art of Crime
This week, I'm re-releasing one of my all-time favorite episodes of The Art of Crime, "Shooting Andy Warhol: Valerie Solanas." It originally aired ac ouple years back, during seasons 2 of the podcast, Assassins. It looks at how playwright, writer, and all-around hellraiser Valerie Solanas shot and nearly killed Andy Warhol in 1968. For show notes and full transcripts, visit . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at .
info_outline
Theft and the Met (Crimes of Old New York)
The Art of Crime
Today, we're joined by the fabulous Amanda Matta, host of the Art of History podcast, to talk about theft and New York's Metropolitan Museum. On the one hand, the Met has acquired a good chunk of its collection by dubious means, including the purchase of looted objects. On the other hand, the museum itself has become the target of thieves, leading to some of New York's most astounding art heists. Make sure to check out Art of History and follow Amanda on social media. If you're interested in royal history, you should definitely check out her work since she made a name for herself as TikTok's...
info_outline
Wig Heist! (Crimes of Old New York)
The Art of Crime
One Monday morning in 1958, Nina Lawson, Mistress of Wigs at the Metropolitan Opera, came into work to discover that someone had stolen thirty thousand dollars' worth of wigs from the Met. The theft made national headlines, and the FBI joined the hunt for the culprits. Show notes and full transcripts available at . If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at .
info_outline
The Meteoric Rise of Audrey Munson (Crimes of Old New York)
The Art of Crime
Today, I'm thrilled to share an episode of a wonderful podcast, ArtMuse. This is part one of a two-part episode about Audrey Munson, sometimes referred to as "America's first supermodel." She inspired more than a dozen prominent statues throughout New York. After reaching the height of her fame, she got roped into one of the early twentieth century's most sensational homicide trials, right up there with the trial of Harry Thaw for the murder of Stanford White. You can learn more about ArtMuse here: . If you'd like to suppor The Art of Crime, please consider becoming a...
info_outline
To Catch a Book Thief (Crimes of Old New York)
The Art of Crime
In 1931, a trio of thieves stole a rare book by Edgar Allan Poe worth more than half a million dollars from the New York Public Library. To bring them to justice, the library called in G. William Bergquist, an investigator who specialized in recovering stolen books.
info_outlineIn the late 1860s, gentleman bank robber George L. Leslie arrived in New York and started working for Fredericka Mandelbaum, one of the city’s most notorious crime bosses. Leslie always claimed to have studied architecture in college and drew on his training to mastermind some of the most daring heists of the century, earning the nickname of “King of Bank Robbers.” His reign would prove short-lived, however, after a robbery went bad in 1878.
Show notes and full transcripts available at www.artofcrimepodcast.com.
If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/artofcrimepodcast.