Here's something a little bit different: three of the Charles Dana Gibson drawings from his "In Leap Year" series, circa 1894. The first two are not directly related to balls, but they show the leap year role reversal taken further than the norm, with the ladies actually drinking and smoking. I'm fairly certain these are purely satirical...
IN LEAP YEAR.
THE GENTLEMEN LEAVE THE LADIES TO THEIR TOBACCO AND WINE.
The usual custom was that at the end of dinner, the ladies would withdraw from the dining room and leave the gentlemen to smoke and drink while the ladies waited for them in a different room. How enthusiastic the ladies were about this may be seen in the manner of the unhappy gentlemen in the next drawing in the sequence, as the ladies finally rejoin them:
IN LEAP YEAR.
THE LADIES, AFTER A LITTLE WINE AND TOBACCO, JOIN THE GENTLEMEN IN THE DRAWING-ROOM.
One more from the sequence. I am not certain whether this third drawing is actually a ballroom scene or merely a party of some kind, but it takes up the same theme as one of the Illustrated London News illustrations: the plight of unattractive gentlemen when ladies are the ones selecting partners, whether for conversation or for dance. The male wallflowers may be seen at the back, while in the foreground all the ladies congregate around a handsome young man.
IN LEAP YEAR.
NOT SO GOOD FOR THE UNATTRACTIVE MEN.
Gibson clearly had fun with the leap year theme, but as is often the case, his drawings are also a pointed critique of social customs. If this behavior is not admirable in women...why is it acceptable in men?
The full series, along with many other great Gibson drawings, may be seen in the 1896 collection of his work available online here. The "In Leap Year" series starts here.
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