On March 18, 1876, the Morning Herald of Wilmington, Delaware, published a short blurb covering a recent "masquerade party" given by one Professor Webster at the Dancing Academy Hall. Unusually, the newspaper coverage says nothing about the costumes other than that there were enough of them to "have exhausted a first class costumer’s establishment, and have taxed the ingenuity of an artist." Instead, we get an actual dance program, consisting entirely of quadrilles, Lanciers, and glide waltzes, and accompanied by names which might be masquerade costumes, though I'm not certain of that.
Professor Webster was a long-time Wilmington dancing master - he was still teaching as late as June 4, 1899, when the Sunday Morning Star reported on the closing reception of his current series of dance classes (see about two-thirds of the way down the first column here.)
Here's the list of dances, in order.
A promenade of 15 minutes, presumably the Grand March, followed by a polka.
1. Quadrille, plain, Des Layton, No. 100, Thatcher
2. Waltz Glide, Flag of Truce, White
3. Quadrille, Lanciers, Tin Fiddle, Hildreth
4. Quadrille, plain, Jigiana, Cleland
5. Quadrille Polka, Mary’s Lamb, Osborne
6. Waltz, Glide, Old Mother Goose, McIntire
7. Quadrille, Robinson, Fandango, Aiken
8. Quadrille, blain [sic], Auld Lang Syne, Burk
9. Quadrille, Polacca, breakdown, Stidham
10. Waltz, Glide, Timber Heels, Simmons
11. Quadrille, Mazourka, Red, White and Blue, Grant
12. Quadrille, plain, Lunatic, Pierson
13. Quadrille, varieties, La Manayunk
14. Waltz, glide. Spring Chicken, Vanderbreak
15. Quadrille, plain, Piccodilly [sic], Mose
15. [sic] Lanciers, Shoddy, McCall
17. Waltz, glide, Go, Lang.
By the numbers:
1 promenade (march?) and polka
5 plain quadrilles
2 Lanciers
5 other quadrilles: Polka, Polacca, Robinson, Mazourka, and varieties
5 glide waltzes
The plain quadrilles were probably the first set (French quadrille), though they might have been called figures. The Lanciers, or Lancers, was, well, the Lancers. The glide waltz was newly fashionable in the 1870s.
The interesting part to me is the five quadrilles that are neither plain nor Lancers, all of which look to me like quadrille incorporating couple dancing. Those aren't unheard of on American dance programs, but it feels a bit unusual to have five of them. Wilmington was and is within Philadelphia's geographic sphere of influence, however, and Philadelphia dancing master Charles Durang seems to have been particularly fond of fancy quadrilles. He published quite a few in his books (Terpsichore in 1847 (discussed here) and The Fashionable Dancer's Casket in1856). Perhaps he established a standard which continued in the area?
About the five:
Various polka and mazourka quadrilles had appeared in the USA since the 1840s, including in Durang's books.
"Varieties" was probably the Parisian Varieties or something similar - a quadrille with a different couple dance attached to each figure.
There were two or three quadrilles called Polacca; I've written about one by Philadelphia and Washington dancing master Professor Asher.
Quadrille Robinson was probably the Robinson Schottische Quadrille.
Overall, this program reminds me of the souvenir program from the Shaler's Brigade Reunion Ball in 1888, which I discussed here., complete with the souvenir programmes for sale (see the transcription below), which suggests they were more than dance lists.
Now, about those names...
The last word on each line generally looks like a surname: Thatcher, White, Hildreth, Cleland, Osborn, McIntire, Aiken, Burk, Stidham, Grant, Pierson, Manayunk, Vanderbreak, Mose, McCall, Lang. They don't look like composers, nor does the extra verbiage look like music titles. Perhaps individual dancers who...wore specific costumes? Did short performances? Gave toasts?
Some of the intervening words look like costumes: Old Mother Goose, Mary's Lamb, Lunatic...Spring Chicken? Breakdown and Fandango look like dances, and "Auld Lang Syne" is a piece of music, of course. But what to make of "Tin Fiddle", "Timber Heels", "Piccodilly" [sic], "Go" and some of the others? I can't imagine what they could be other than masquerade costumes, but "Des Layton, No. 100" is not obviously so, and neither is "breakdown".
For now, it's a mystery.
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TRANSCRIPTION
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The Morning Herald (Wilmington, Delaware), March 18, 1876, p. 4
(Original: PDF, second item in first column)
The Masquerade.
The masquerade party given by Professor Webster, at his academy in the Masonic Temple, was in every respect a pronounced success. The grand march had been announced to come off at 9 o’clock, and by that time fifty couples had assembled in grotesque groups about the drawing rooms. In the Dancing Academy Hall about a hundred and fifty spectators were seated at either side and end, anxious for the sport, which the grand promenade promised. The march began promptly at the time appointed, and the effect was as comically successful as could be desired. The stream of gay masqueraders, which poured into the room, must have exhausted a first class costumer’s establishment, and have taxed the ingenuity of an artist. The prominade [sic] occupied nearly fifteen minutes, and was completed by a short polka, after which the following programme was completed before the party dispersed to their homes, delighted with the affair.
MYSTERIOUS PILGRIMS.
“I thought you wouldn’t come.”
Part I.— 1. Quadrille, plain, Des Layton, No. 100, Thatcher; 2. Waltz Glide, Flag of Truce, White; 3. Quadrille, Lanciers, Tin Fiddle, Hildreth; 4. Quadrille, plain, Jigiana, Cleland; 5. Quadrille Polka, Mary’s Lamb, Osborne; 6. Waltz, Glide, Old Mother Goose, McIntire; 7. Quadrille, Robinson, Fandango, Aiken; 8. Quadrille, blain [sic], Auld Lang Syne, Burk; 9. Quadrille, Polacca, breakdown, Stidham; 10. Waltz, Glide, Timber Heels, Simmons; 11. Quadrille, Mazourka, Red, White and Blue, Grant; 12. Quadrille, plain, Lunatic, Pierson; 13. Quadrille, varieties, La Manayunk; 14. Waltz, glide. Spring CHicken, Vanderbreak; 15. Quadrille, plain, Piccodilly [sic], Mose; 15. Lanciers, Shoddy, McCall; 17. Waltz, glide, Go, Lang.
Part II.— If any of these programmes are left they can be had on payment of fifty cents at the desk.”
Professor Webster is to be congratulated upon the uniform success of his parties, which are now some of the most popular terpsichorean entertainments which occur in our city. It is seldom that a masque party proves as universally enjoyed and devoid of unpleasant incidents as the one given last night.
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