Historical Fancy Dress

Category: Fancy Dress Balls

  • A Victorian Fancy Dress Ball, New Haven, Connecticut (Saturday, March 24, 2012)

    Enjoying the descriptions and illustrations of fancy dress costumes posted here?  Now's your chance to try it for yourself!

    On Saturday, March 24th, in New Haven, Connecticut, there will be a fancy dress ball in the style of the 1880s, featuring live music, Victorian dancing, refreshments made from historical recipes, and a chance to bring fancy dress costumes to life!

    The ball will be held from 8:00 to 11:30pm at beautiful Pratt Hall, less than a block from the New Haven Green and only a few blocks from the historic Yale University campus.  The dancing will be precepted by dance historian and teacher Susan de Guardiola (author of the Capering & KIckery dance history blog and owner of Historical Fancy Dress) with live music by the noted dance trio Spare Parts, heard recently on the soundtrack of the film Bright Star.  The dances will be a typical Victorian mix of couple dances (waltz, polka, schottische, galop) and set dances (contras, quadrilles).  All set dances will be taught during the evening, and there will be a workshop from 3:00 to 5:00pm the afternoon of the ball to help people wanting to learn the couple dances.  There will also be a procession of costumes and

    Fancy dress based on the styles of the 1880s is strongly encouraged, and this blog is your resource for costume ideas.  Since this is a fancy dress ball rather than a masquerade, masks are not necessary.  To preserve the beautiful floor, please make sure to have clean dance shoes or indoor-only shoes to change into at the hall so as not to track dirt or grit into the ballroom.

    The ball is strictly limited to 80 people due to the size of the hall.  Advance registration ($30 per person, or $20 for ages 13-21) is recommended.  At-the-door prices are $10 higher and admission will be available only if space permits.  Younger children may attend with their parents, and are expected to be strictly supervised throughout and withdrawn from the ballroom if they become too tired/fussy to display polite behavior.

    A hotel block at the nearby New Haven Hotel has been reserved at a discount rate; reservations must be made by March 7th to be guaranteed this rate.

    Full information and registration (by mail or Paypal) are available at the Fancy Dress Ball website.

  • A Masquerade Dance Card, 1900

    DanceCard-YMPS-1900-Outside DanceCard-YMPS-1900-Inside

    Here's an interesting bit of fancy dress ephemera: an actual dance card from a masquerade ball given in Wisconsin on February 10, 1900.  Scans of the cover and inside are at left; click to enlarge.

    This is a lady's card, with men's names filled in for the first half of the ball.  The ball — their Third Annual Masquerade — was sposnored by the Y.M.P.S. in a town whose name is unreadable due to damage to the card but which I would guess to be Westboro.  The red cord attached at the top was to hold a pencil for filling in names.

    The dance mix on the card is a typical late Victorian mix, primarily couple dances (waltz, polka, schottische, two-step) and quadrilles.  Interestingly, the Grand March, typically the first dance (perhaps after a series of tableaux vivants), is placed ninth instead.  I place the Grand March in the middle of the ball at my own Fancy Dress Ball because I do it as a costume-announcing parade, so I want to wait until everyone is there, but don't want to delay the start of the ball.  Perhaps this group did it for similar reasons.

    The opening dance is a quadrille, which might have been or followed a special Fancy Quadrille, in which a group of dancers with costumes matching a particular theme would perform.

    I discussed this card from a dance perspective a while back at my companion dance history blog, Capering & KIckery.

     

     

  • Opening with tableaux

    (How to open a fancy dress ball conducted in a large public space: with tableaux vivants or "living pictures": groups of costumed attendees posed in scenes.)

        Before touching upon costumes, it may be well to add the information concerning the general programme of a masquerade or fancy ball which is given either by private individuals or societies, in a public ballroom or hall.  At a private house, unless there is a large ballroom, the plan can scarcely be followed, though it is the regular custom at the entertainments first mentioned.

        A large fancy ball is usually opened with tableaux.  For this purpose a stage or platform at one end of the room is necessary.  Temporary steps should lead from the floor to the stage at its center.  As soon as a sufficient number of guests have arrived to conduct the tableaux as planned, the entertainment begins.  The subjects for the tableaux should be comic in character, and may consist of "hits on the times," or upon local politics or institutions; or they may be arranged from some familiar humorous picture or series of pictures.  This matter must be left to the host and hostess of a private ball or to the committee of arrangements for a society ball, who will select the subjects and decide upon the number of tableaux to be given.  The last tableaux must include all the maskers who have taken part in the tableaux, and also the host and hostess, or at a society ball the president of the society and his lady; and it must be so arranged that at the end of the scene those on the stage, headed by the host and hostess or the president and his lady, will fall into line of march and move down the steps to the floor, where all the other guests are waiting, and also join in the grand march which generally opens every ball.  If the first dance is to be a waltz, the guests should at the close of the march, be standing so that the line will form a sort of spiral.  But if the first dance is to be a square dance, then the couples should be arranged along the sides of the room, ready to fall into sets at the first bars of the music. 

        — Masquerade and Carnival.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1892.

    The University of Chicago has published a short scholarly article discussing the tableau vivant in relation to art, and includes both the Oxford English Dictionary definition:  “a representation of a personage, character, scene, incident, etc., or of a well-known painting or statue, by one person or a group of persons in suitable costumes and attitudes, silent and motionless" and a quote from the popular Godey’s Magazine and Lady’s Book describing tableaux vivant as one of the most popular amusements of the time, “…. engendering a love for and appreciation of art.”

    TableauJoandArc1910 A Danish dramaturge named Marie has written a fascinating little article regarding the use of the tableau vivant in literature by such well-known authors as Louisa May Alcott, Charlotte Brontë, and Edith Wharton. 

    The illustration at left of a 1910 tableau (though not from a fancy dress ball) is borrowed from her blog, At the Lighthouse, and depicts the wounded Joan of Arc surrounded by English soldiers, a typical historical theme.

    Click the image for a larger view.

  • The Seasons Quadrille

    (Here are descriptions of costumes for a Fancy Quadrille carried out by a matched set of eight ladies and gentlemen.  A subset of the costume descriptions could also be used for a group of men or women or for a couple.)

    THE SEASONS QUADRILLE

    SPRING. — A very Young Lady. — Short dress of primrose tulle, with satin bodice of the same colour.  Skirt, trimmed with bunches of primroses, and bouquets of same on shoulders; primrose wreath on the head; shoes and stockings and gloves all of the same colour.

    Attendant Gentleman — Angler — Izaak Walton. — A brown, velvet doublet, with brass buttons up the front and along the square side-pockets.  Full knee-breeches of brown velvet, with brown or yellow silk stockings.  A high pointed beaver hat, with yellow feather.; fishing-rod in hand.  Hair tied in a bag-wig with brown or yellow bow.

    SUMMER. — Pale pink tulle, over satin of the same shade.  Low bodice, edged with garland of roses.  Wreath of ross on head, and a long garland of the same flowers on the skirt.

    Attendant Gentleman — Haymaker. — Smock frock of cream-coloured soft silk, brown corduroy knee-breeches, and pale blue stockings, with Oxford shoes.  Rustic hat, and square-cut hair.  Sleeves tied in three places with pale blue ribbon.

    AUTUMN. — Amber tulle dress, trimmed with long garlands of poppies and corn.  Bunches of same on shoulders  Wreath of poppies and corn.  This is a most becoming dess for a brunette.

    Attendant Gentleman — Reaper. — Same as haymaker, but with green corduroy breeches, instead of brown.  Brown stockings and Oxford shoes.  Belt and sickle.

    WINTER. — White satin short dress, edged with swan's-down.  A robin perched on left shoulder.  Leonardo da Vinci cap of white plush, trimmed with swan's-down, and a robin stuck at one side.  High white satin boots edged with swan's down at the top.

    Attendant Gentleman — Polish Skater. — Dress of purple velvet, edged with fur.  Small skates slung to his belt.

    Source:
    Armstrong, Lucie.  The Ball-Room Guide.  London and New York: Frederick Warne & Co., c1880s.

  • For Fair-Haired Women

    (Paralleling the list of costumes for brunettes, here are some fancy dress suggestions for fair-haired women from various editions of Ardern Holt's manual.)

    From the second edition in 1880:

    For FAIR WOMEN, among others, the following are suitable: — Arctic Maiden, Air, Bride of Lammermoor, Aurora, White Lady of Avenel, Canada, Canadian Snow Wreath, Danish, Day, Dew, Elaine, Fair Maid of Perth, Fairy, Flora, Marguerite in Faust, Moonlight, Norwegian, Ophelia, Peace, Polish, Rainbow, Rowena, Sabrina, Swiss, Schneewitchen, Titania, Twilight, and Water-Nymphs.

    The list expanded slightly in the 1887 & 1896 editions:

    For FAIR WOMEN, among others, the following are suitable: — Arctic Maide, Air, Bride of Lammermoor, Aurora, White Lady of Avenel, Canada, Canadian Snow Wreath, Danish Peasant, Day, Dew, Edith Bellender, Elaine, Fair Maid of Perth, Fairy, Flora, Gabrielle d'Estrées, La Belle Dame sans Merci, Margeurite in Faust, Moonlight, Norwegian costumes, Ophelia, Peace, Polish Peasant, Rainbow, Rowena, Sabrina, Swiss, Schneewittchen, Titania, Twilight, and Water-Nymphs.

    Sources:
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 2nd Edition, Illustrated.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1880.
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, Sixth Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1896.

    The 1896 edition of Holt may be found online at the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.

  • On decorating the ballroom

    (Tips on decorating the hall for a fancy dress ball.  This is an American description, and the use of the term "maskers" for the guests suggests a greater openness to actual masquerades than was the English custom in the late nineteenth century.)

        As private houses are seldom commodious enough to afford comfortable space for a large fancy ball, it is quite customary for the host or hostess to engage the exclusive use of the ball and supper rooms of some hotel or other public resort, and give the entertainment in them; and the custom is commendable, since it provides more room for the guests and thus insures them a greater amount of enjoyment, besides relieving the hostess of the household confusion which prefaces and follows a ball given at a private dwelling.

        On the occasion of a private ball in a public ballroom, the latter may be decorated as far as possible to appear like the parlors of a private house; and as refreshments are served in rooms reserved for the purpose, the affair is as exclusive as if given under one's own roof. 

        In decorating for a fancy ball, the ballroom is usually festooned with draperies of the national or other colors fastened up under comic masks, or shields upon which are grotesque faces and figures, armorial emblems and mimic instruments of music.  Flowers and foliage are banked and grouped in different parts of the room, but foliage should predominate, as its rich green forms a charming background for the brilliant costumes of the maskers.  Japanese lanterns also add, by their soft radience, to the effectiveness of the scene.

        In many instances the musicians are dressed in fancy costumes; and not infrequently the men servants are habited as were the retainers of olden days, and the women servants are also dressed as were those of ancient times.  In this way greater realism is obtained and there are no inharmonious comminglings of the unpicturesque costumes of the present day.

    Source:
    Masquerade and Carnival.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1892.

  • Fancy Quadrilles

    (Often a fancy dress ball will include a prearranged quadrille featuring a set of themed costumes — matching or “naturally associated” with each other.  This might be the opening dance of the ball following the grand march or might be later, or there might be several during the evening.  Here are some ideas from the 1880s and 1890s for such quadrilles.  I particularly like the “naturally associated” pairing of Politicians and Nuns in the 1892 source!)

    A full list of the sources from which these descriptions are taken is at the bottom of this post.

        A marked feature at most Fancy Balls is a specially-arranged Quadrille.  The choice is a large one.  The following have from time to time been given: –Watteau, Poudré, Louis Quinze, Shepherds and Shepherdesses, when both ladies and gentlemen wear the hair powdered and the costumes which everybody associates with these characters.  A Louis Quinze Hunting Quadille in the hunting dress of that period.  A Quadrille of All Nations, embracing all nationalities, the ladies and gentlemen of the same countries dancing together, the gentlemen occasionally carryng the national flag; Scotch, Irish, King and Queen, Army and Navy, Flowers of the Year, Venetian Vandyke, Pack of Cards, Fairy Tale, Joe Willett and Dolly Varden, Puritan and Cavalier.  The time when such Quadrilles are danced, and the partners are all pre-arranged.   (Holt, 1880)

        At some fancy balls quadrilles are arranged beforehand, in which all the dancers are to be dressed after the fashion of some particular period.  One of these quadrilles should open the ball, and others may be interspersed in the programme at irregular intervals.  (Armstrong, c1880s)

        A marked feature at most Fancy Balls is a specially-arranged Quadrille.  The choice is a large one.  The following have from time to time been given: –Watteau, Poudré, Noah’s Ark, Cracker, Constellation, Domino, Hobby-Horse, Seasons, Bouquet, Bird, Louis Quinze; Shepherds and Shepherdesses, when both ladies and gentlemen wear the hair powdered and costumes associated with these characters; a Louis Quinze Hunting Quadille in the hunting dress of that period.  A Quadrille of All Nations, embracing all nationalities, the ladies and gentlemen of the same countries dancing together, the gentlemen occasionally carryng the national flag; Scotch, Irish, King and Queen, Army and Navy, Flowers of the Year, Venetian, Vandyke, Pack of Cards, Fairy Tale, Joe Willett and Dolly Varden, Puritan and Cavalier.  The time when such quadrilles are danced, and the partners are all pre-arranged.   (Holt, 1887)

        Among the many quadrilles from which to select a subject for this one dance, which may include other sets of the guests, are the following and it must be understood that the gentlemen of the set in most of the cases must be dressed alike and the ladies also; and that the costumes must belong to the same period or be naturally associated together: Shepherds and Shepherdesses; the Seasons; Watteau and Poudré periods; Louis Quinze Hunting Quadrille, in the hunting costume of that period; Kings and Queens of various nations; Army and Navy; Holbein Quadrille in Tudor dress; Flowers of the Year; Birds; Pack of Cards; Puritan Maidens and Cavaliers; Noah’s Ark, (the animals in pairs); National Games; Politicians and Nuns; Policemen and Nurse Girls; Dudes and Tailor-made Girls; Clowns and Fairies; in fact, anything of the kind that may suggest itself to the hostess or committee of arrangements, who plans when such a dance shall take place and who are to take part in it.  (Butterick, 1892)

        A marked feature at most Fancy Balls is a specially arranged Quadrille.  The choice is a large one.  The list includes; — Watteau, Poudré, Noah’s Ark, Cracker, Constellation, Domino, Hobby-Horse, Seasons, Bird, Louis Quinze, Shepherds and Shepherdesses, when both ladies and gentlemen wear the costumes associated with these characters.  For a Louis Quinze Hunting Quadrille they appear in the hunting dress of that period; for a Holbein Quadrille in the Tudor dress; a Quadrille of all Nations, embracing all nationalities, the ladies and gentlemen of the same countries dancing together, the gentlemen occasionally carrying the national flag are all good.  In an Italian and Swiss Quadrille, each couple preserve the same coloring.  In Black and White the ladies are entirely robed in white with powdered hair; the gentlemen in black costumes of the time of Edward III., with black masks and pointed shoes, hanging sleeves.  Stuart and Georgian characters make good quadrilles, and Pierre and Pierrettes, Punch and his wife, and Spanish Men and Maidens in various colorings.  In a Toy Quadrille, toys such as tops, Dutch dolls, battledores and shuttlecocks appear.  For an Octave, ladies and gentlemen are dressed in black and white, each carry bells which tinkle as they walk.  For Chivalry, the gentlemen are in armour, and the ladies in the dress of the period.  Scotch, Irish, King and Queen, Army and Navy, Flowers of he Year, Venetian, Vandyke, Pack of Cards, Fairy Tale, Butterflies, Joe Willett and Dolly Varden, Puritan and Cavalier also find favour.  The time when such quadrilles are danced, and the partners, are all pre-arranged.  (Holt, 1896)

    Descriptions of Poudré, Shepherdess, Vandyke, and Butterfly costumes are already posted elsewhere on Historical Fancy Dress, with more to come!

    Sources:
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 2nd Edition, Illustrated.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1880.
    Armstrong, Lucie.  The Ball-Room Guide.  London and New York: Frederick Warne & Co., c1880s.
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, 5th Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1887.
    Masquerade and Carnival.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1892.
    Holt, Ardern.  Fancy Dresses Described, Sixth Edition.  London: Debenham & Freebody, 1896.

    The 1896 edition of Holt may be found online at the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections.

  • Selecting a Fancy Dress Costume, 1920

    (Some practical advice on fancy dress costumes found in an English dance manual from 1920.)

        On the subject of Fancy Costumes much may be said, but let me urge both sexes to take into consideration their personal characteristics, such as build, complexion, colour of hair, etc., before selecting their costumes.
        Incongruities such as a short stout man with glasses disguised as Mephistopheles, or a tall Spanish-looking lady as Little Red Riding Hood are absurd — and yet one sees them.
        There are many striking costumes which may be made at home: among them, for men, Arab Cowboy, Gipsy, Poet; or for ladies, Boyblue, Quaker Girl, Flower-girl, Spanish Dancer, etc.
        Those desiring Historical or more elaborate costumes should invariably obtain expert advice from a costumir.  Take particular care that the headdress and shoes are in keeping with the costume; what more incongruous than Dutch clogs on a cowboy or a powdered wig with a Red Riding Hood costume?
        Many fancy-dress balls are confined to the characters of some author or playwright, such as Dickens, Shakespeare, etc.  Others are of some particular period of history, such as Elizabethan.
        The advice of an expert is absolutely necessary in selecting a suitable costume for such as these.
        Above all things, a dancer should always consider whether his or her own ideas as to the effectiveness of a costume coincide with other people's ideas of what woud suit his or her figure or complexion, etc., prior to making a definitive choice.
        Whatever costume you may select it is as well to make sure beforehand that it is going to be comfortable to dance in — otherwise you will probably spend a a thoroughly miserable evening.

    Source:
    D'Egville, Geoffrey. How and What to Dance, 2nd Ed.  London: C. Arthur Pearson, 1920.

     

  • A Classic Party

    (Here's a specific fancy dress event theme that is basically a genteel Edwardian toga party, despite the author's efforts to depict it as educational.)

    Some of the most successful fancy-dress parties as to costume, and most fascinating as to the amusement afforded, have been arranged by limitations as to books, eras, countries, etc., which have been mentioned by the hostess upon the cards of invitation. For instance, she invites her friends and acquaintances to…a classic party, the latter including both Greeks and Romans, a few of the most presentable of the gods and goddesses and so on, down to the characters portrayed in Hawthorne's "Marble Faun."

    Both the Greek and Roman costumes of the free men and women are a most interesting study well worth giving a party for, if only for that; while following such a research, one's memory of classic times is refreshed, if not newly stored with historic facts, regarding tastes and habits that have influenced all the succeeding generations of civilized peoples. Gentlemen and ladies who carry themselves with dignity can wear these vestments with charming and novel effects, that contrast curiously with the appointments of a modern drawing-room.

    Source:
    Masquerades, Tableaux and Drills.  New York: The Butterick Publishing Company, 1906.

  • Victorian Fancy Dress Ball Advance Registration Reminder!

    A quick reminder that the advance registration deadline for the April 2nd Victorian Fancy Dress Ball in New Haven is today!  Hit Paypal or get your check into the mail ASAP!  (Get the flyer with registration information here.)  This is your chance to try the cotumes and descriptions found in Historical Fancy Dress for yourself!  Here are the details:

    On Saturday, April 2nd, in New Haven, Connecticut, there will be a fancy dress ball in the style of the 1880s, featuring live music, Victorian dancing, refreshments made from historical recipes, and a chance to bring fancy dress costumes to life!

    The ball will be held from 8:00 to 11:30pm at beautiful Pratt Hall, less than a block from the New Haven Green and only a few blocks from the historic Yale University campus.  The dancing will be precepted by dance historian and teacher Susan de Guardiola (author of the Capering & KIckery dance history blog and owner of Historical Fancy Dress) with live music by the noted dance trio Spare Parts, heard recently on the soundtrack of the film Bright Star.  The dances will be a typical Victorian mix of couple dances (waltz, polka, schottische, galop) and set dances (contras, quadrilles).  All set dances will be taught during the evening, and there will be a workshop from 3:00 to 5:00pm the afternoon of the ball to help people wanting to learn the couple dances.

    For those in New York City, there will also be a pair of pre-ball workshops on Victorian couple dances and set dances this Sunday, March 27th.  Full details are here; a workshop flyer may be downloaded from this workshop flyers page.

    Obviously, fancy dress based on the styles of the 1880s is strongly encouraged, and this blog is intended as a resource for costume ideas.  The evening will include a procession of costumes.  Since this is a fancy dress ball rather than a masquerade, masks are not necessary.  To preserve the beautiful floor, please make sure to have clean dance shoes or indoor-only shoes to change into at the hall so as not to track dirt or grit into the ballroom.

    The ball is strictly limited to 80 people due to the size of the hall.  Advance registration ($25 per person, or $18 for ages 13-21) is recommended.  At-the-door prices are $10 higher and admission will be available only if space permits.  Younger children may attend with their parents, and are expected to be strictly supervised throughout and withdrawn from the ballroom if they become too tired/fussy to display polite behavior.

    A flyer with registration information may be downloaded here.