Jumping from the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth century:
I first came across a description of Mrs. Walker's Masqued Ball as it was published in a Philadelphia journal, The Port-Folio, on January 19, 1805, with a credit to the The Morning Post, a noted London newspaper which famously covered the social activities of the upper classes in Regency England.
For several years, I had the article filed under the date 1805, but with a suspicious note attached because the outdoor party described (with a hostess concerned about the possibility of the heat being "oppressive") didn't sound likely to have occurred in January, even in England. I still haven't found the original Morning Post article, but I did turn up a shorter version of the same description (minus all the costume information) that was published in The Lancaster Gazette (of Lancaster, England, not Lancaster, Pennsylvania) on Saturday, July 14, 1804, with one critical word present:
on Wednesday se'nnight [emphasis mine]
In the longer piece in The Port-Folio, this line was altered to "on Wednesday evening", presumably because it was being reprinted seven months later. I believe that "se'nnight" would make the date of the ball Wednesday, July 4th, 1804, a much more sensible date for an outdoor event.
British newspapers covered many masqued balls, but most of the descriptions weren't quite as detailed as this one. I've included a transcription of the entire article (Port-Folio version) below. I'll just pick out a few of the points that really caught my eye.
First, the timing. They partied very late in Regency London! The guests arrived between eleven at night and one o'clock in the morning, with some showing up as late as two. Refreshments were served at two. Dancing (actually mentioned!) began at three and lasted until five, when the company left. The musicians played until dawn. If one assumes that the guests were received by their hostess upon arrival, that's two to three hours of arrivals and (presumably) wandering the gardens and socializing, one hour for refreshments, and two hours of dancing.
Second, the size of the event and, by extension, the house and grounds. The number of tickets "did not exceed three hundred". The gardens had space enough for a platform for the musicians and a bower full of sofas for relaxing (read the full descriptions below!) The suite of drawing rooms presumably absorbed all those guests, and somehow there was still room for dancing.
Third, a few particularly clever costumes. Most of the costumes were typical ones -- Spanish dress was popular among both ladies and gentlemen, and there was the usual assortment of Turks, Flower Girls, clowns, religious dress, and (less appealingly) Gypsies and Jews. A Mr. Lawrence (could it have been the famous painter?) came in authentic Lapland costume. One lady merely wore a "fancy dress". But amongst the more glittering names, there was also one T. Sheridan, probably the future theatre manager and playwright Tom Sheridan, who dressed as the Blacksmith from Gretna Green (the border-town destination of eloping couples who could be married "over the anvil" in Scotland) accompanied by a friend as Hymen, god of marriage. And Mr. G. Thellusson came as a Dancing Master, and apparently could play well enough to provide the music for a minuet.
Fourth, the cross-dressing. The minuet in question was danced by "an antiquated Old Maid of the year 1700", one of the "best dressed and supported characters" at the ball, who was later revealed to be a Mr. Mellish, and Mr. Champneys, whom I believe was dressed as "Lady Simons". The Earl of Lauderdale was also an "excellent" Old Maid. That's four gentlemen cross-dressed out of twenty-six mentioned in the article, which seems like a rather large percentage. And Mr. Mellish, at least, did it well enough that people seem to have genuinely not recognized him. I don't have any basis for analyzing how popular cross-dressing for balls was among gentlemen in the Regency era, and obviously there were a lot more than twenty-six gentlemen at the ball if it had close to three hundred guests. Perhaps the cross-dressers were mentioned because they were especially notable or popular? Or because they were out of the ordinary?
Fifth, the masks mentioned only in passing as an informal term for guests ("several masks gained admission as late as two o'clock"). This was billed as a masqued ball, not a fancy dress ball, so presumably everyone except possibly the Prince of Wales (the future Prince Regent) was masked. But since we have descriptions of fewer than one sixth of the guests, we don't really know what percentage of them were wearing masks with fancy dress and what percentage were wearing only simple dominos and masks. We also don't know when they unmasked, though I'd guess it was before the refreshments.
As usual, there was no detail given about the dancing beyond the fact that two gentlemen in ladies' costumes danced a minuet together, and that the dancing went on for two hours. Much to my sorrow, society reporters don't seem to have been nearly as interested in the dancing as I am!
My transcription of the article from The Port-Folio is below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MRS. WALKER'S MASQUED BALL.
This elegant Lady, long celebrated in the Fashionable World for the superior taste of her masqued fetes, opened her house in George-street, Hanover-square, for the first time since her widowhood, on Wednesday evening. The number of tickets issued did not exceed three hundred, and every necessary precaution was taken to prevent the intrusion of improper persons. -- From eleven until one the company continued to arrive, but several masks gained admission as late as two o'clock. -- The preparations for the occasian [sic] were in a very elegant style. A terrace, or platform, was erected at the bottom of the garden, and fitted up with oak and laurel leaves which formed an arched covering; variegated lamps were entwined, and the whole was surmounted b the British star, composed of purple and yellow lamps. In the centre was stationed a band of Italian Musicians (similar to the Milanese Minstrels), who played there until the dawn. Next the Ottoman or breakfast room a beautiful alcove was formed by the union of several trees, lighted with variegated lamps, scattered among the branches. This bower was intended as a temporary retreat, had the heat proved oppressive: it was fitted up with sofas in the eastern taste. The other parts of the garden were ornamented with branches of oak and laurel, with festoons of lamps, and the perspective from the lower apartments of the house, communicated through the medium of folding doors, had the most beautiful effect imaginable. The internal decorations of the mansion were strictly in unison. The hall and staircase were ornamented with flowers and Chinese lanthorns, and the suit of apartments on the drawing-room floor, were illuminated by chandeliers and lustres, which rivalled the meridian sun. Among the best supported characters were the following:
Mr. Browne was a most excellent, Sir Archy M. Sarcasm; the Hon. William Spencer, as the Devil upon Two Sticks, took an accurate survey of the company, and reported to his friend Asmodeus his opinion respecting them. Lord Hamilton (eldest son of the Marquis of Abercorn) was admirable dressed as a Turk, and made an elegant appearance. The Spaniards were not very numerous, among the most splendid were the Marquisses [sic] of Abercorn and Hartington, Earl of Besborough, Lord Claude Hamilton, Mr. Parry, &c. -- Among the religious characters, Mr. Baget was a Friar, and the beautiful Mrs. O'Brien a Nun. Among the devotees were the beautiful Lady Castlereagh and Lady L. Corry, as Pilgrims. Jews were very numerous: among the number were, Capt. Armstrong, Mr. Jekyl, and Mr. G. Upton, the latter as Shylock. The Earl of Lauderdale was an excellent Old Maid. Mr. H. Wrottesley and Mr. Champneys, as Sir Solomon and Lady Simons, with Messrs. Armstrong and Maddocks, as two attendant Jews, were excellent. Mr. C. Moore, a French Cook; Mr. G. Thellusson, a Dancing Master. One of the best dressed and supported characters was an antiquated Old Maid of the year 1700. She danced a minuet with Mr. Champney, to the music of Mr. G. Thellusson's fiddle.
Many anxious inquiries were made to ascertain who the old Lady was, but the discovery was made by the Prince of Wales, who soon recognized the original in the person of Mr. Mellish. The Gypsies were as numerous as usual; among them we noticed the Countesses of Clare and Cork, Lady E. Foster, Mrs. Ariana Egerton. Mr. H. Greville was at the head of the tribe.
Much laughter was excited by the whimsicalities of Mr. T. Sheridan, who arrived about one o'clock, post, as the Blacksmith from Gretna Green, in search of business, and accompanied by Mr. C. Calvert, who was dressed as Hymen. Among the foreigners, Mr. Lawrence was most prominently attired in the real costume of a Laplander, and he appeared to possess all the apathy of that frozen climate. Even the numberless beauties present would not thaw his inflexible countenance into a smile. Of Flower Girls, there were only two, personified by Lady H. Cavendish and Madame Gramont. The English Clowns were as numerous as usual; among the number were Mr. Giles and Mr. Nourse.
As beauty is seldom seen to more advantage than in a Spanish habit, so here we found the Duchess of Devonshire in black and silver; Duchess of Rutland in lilac and silver; Marchioness of Hertford in crimson and silver; Lady Ramsden, Lady C. Hamilton, Lady S. Stewart, were likewise in Spanish dresses. Viscountess Dungannon looked beautifully in a fancy dress.
About two o'clock the company partook of the refreshments, which consisted of every delicacy of the season. About three o'clock dancing commenced in the drawing room, and concluded about five, when the company departed. The Prince of Wales was dressed in green with a Star, and wore the Order of the Garter. [Morning Post.
Comments