Capering & Kickery

Missing Mrs. Lincoln, 1861

On August 7th, 1861, the Long Branch correspondent of The New York Herald reported great excitement in the New Jersey ocean resort town at the news that Mrs. Lincoln, wife of President Abraham Lincoln, would soon be arriving in town.  Mary Todd Lincoln, then 43 years old, is pictured at left in an 1861 photo (click to enlarge) by the famous photographer Matthew Brady.

In the column "The Watering Place", published in the paper on August 9th, the anonymous correspondent, based in the National Hotel, wrote that the announcement of her arrival had "completely eclipsed, for the time, the rival sensations of our masquerade ball and Siddons' readings."  Like other "watering places", Long Branch had suffered during the year from "the pressures of the times", meaning the outbreak of the Civil War, and it was hoped that Mrs. Lincoln's visit would restore the "old animation and gayety" of the resort.  

In the meantime, there were "hotel wars" in Long Branch over where she would stay.  D. P. Peters, proprietor of the National Hotel, expected her to stay there, since he had originally invited the Lincolns to Long Branch earlier in the year.  His invitation letter of May 27, 1861, has survived; a transcription published in the book Dear Mr. Lincoln may be seen here.  Due to the war, President Lincoln was not free to leave Washington, but Mrs. Lincoln would come.  Might she even arrive the following day for a special event?

"To-morrow night, for example, we are to have a masquerade and fancy dress ball at this hotel, and Phillips, the costumer, is here to assist in transforming common folks into princes, queens, monks, and fools--very little transformation is needed in that character, often.  If the dancers would only wear their bathing dresses, it strikes me that they would be most effectually disguised.  Such a motley set as one sees on the beach of a fine morning no fancy dress ball could equal."

No "Secesh", 1862

On January 25, 1862, a dramatic little story appeared in a column in The Philadelphia Inquirer, "The New York Letter", which covered news from New York City.  The United States was eight months into the Civil War against the Confederacy (formally, the Confederate States of America, or C. S. A.), and New Yorkers were on the alert for Confederate spies, or "Secesh" (secessionists).  So it was quite alarming for a gentleman to notice, in a paint shop, 

several suspicious looking bundles, boxes, etc., marked "C. S. A. Sutler's Department," "C. S. A. Medical Department," etc.

He reported the items to the police, and detectives were duly assigned to watch the shop, where, on the evening of January 23rd (going by the date of the column), they noticed someone leaving the premises, 

enwrapped in a long cloak and scarf, carrying the suspicious bundles under his arm

Suspicious indeed!  The detectives followed him to a house, which he and dozens of other cloaked men entered.  Was it a secret meeting of spies?  Smugglers?  Terrorists?   Police surrounded the house, but after sending one policeman inside to reconnoiter, they abruptly retired from the scene. 

Why did they leave?  And what does this have to do with dance, anyway?

Brain Fever, 1840

Ah, sweet October, which I generally devote to discussion of fancy dress and masquerade balls, weird cotillion figures, and similar frivolity!

I have two words to start off the month in the proper spirit:

headless quadrille

Specifically: 

The first couple is Anne Boleyn and Louis XVI.  They are facing Lady Jane Grey and Marino Faliero (a 14th century Venetian Doge).  Marie Antoinette and Charles I make up the first side couple, facing the Earl of Essex, dancing alone. 

In case anyone missed the connection, all of these people were beheaded.  

Themed quadrilles from history or literature were very common at fancy dress balls in the nineteenth century, but this really has got to be the Best Theme Ever.  I just about died laughing when I realized the joke.