Bradley-Martin Ball facts for kids
The Bradley-Martin Ball was a huge, fancy costume party held at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City. It took place on the night of February 10, 1897. Cornelia Bradley-Martin, who was married to Bradley Martin, organized this amazing event. About 800 wealthy people, called socialites, spent around $400,000 to dress up like kings and queens. Today, that would be like spending about $9.7 million!
Cornelia Bradley-Martin said she wanted the ball to help New York City's economy. At the time, the city was still recovering from a tough economic period called the Long Depression, which started in 1873. Even though the ball was a social success, it caused a lot of debate. Many people, especially preachers and writers, argued about whether it was right to spend so much money on a party.
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Planning the Big Party
Cornelia Bradley-Martin hoped the ball would boost the city's economy. But she also wanted to make sure everyone knew about it! For weeks, her secretary made sure newspapers had all the important details. Soon, people all over the city were talking about the ball.
Public Buzz and Famous Guests
In the three weeks before the ball, it was the main topic of conversation in New York society. One newspaper, the Commercial Advertiser, even said that the ball seemed more important than big political news of the day!
Many famous people were invited. Some of the guests and their costumes included:
- Caroline Schermerhorn Astor, a very well-known socialite, dressed as Mary, Queen of Scots.
- Her son, John Jacob Astor IV, came as Henry IV of France. His wife dressed as Marie Antoinette.
- James L. Breese chose to be the Duke of Guise.
- The artist Adolfo Müller-Ury dressed as a Spanish bullfighter, called a toreador.
The Ball Itself
Cornelia Bradley-Martin had a special idea for the ball. She sent out invitations with short notice. This meant guests wouldn't have time to order their fancy dresses from Paris. Instead, they would have to buy them from local businesses. This helped support workers and shops in New York City.
Why Spend So Much?
There was a big discussion about whether it was better for rich people to give money to charity or to spend it on fun events. Some people believed in charity. But others, like the members of the Musical Mutual Protective Union (MMPU), thought differently. They believed that when wealthy people spent money on enjoying themselves, it created jobs. This way, hundreds of working people could earn money and keep their self-respect, instead of needing charity. The MMPU was upset because a military band was hired for the ball instead of their own musicians, who needed the work more.
Getting Ready
Decorating the Waldorf Hotel for the ball was a huge job. It started the day before the event. Workers searched through stores and homes to find old decorations and historical items. Jewelers sold out of their antique pieces. Families even took out precious jewels and old laces from their safety vaults to wear.
About 1,200 invitations were sent out, and more than half of the invited guests came. Some guests only stayed for a short time, just to see what all the fuss was about.
Inside the Waldorf Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was completely changed to look like the Palace of Versailles in France. Beautiful tapestries, lovely flowers, and countless lights made a stunning background for the amazing costumes.
Police officers stood guard at the hotel entrance. The Bradley-Martins arrived first at 10:15 PM. Soon, many carriages arrived, and by 11 PM, guests were pouring in. They went up to the second floor, where 15 dressing rooms were ready. Some guests changed into their costumes there. This was a smart idea, as they didn't want to show off their expensive jewels and laces on the street. Wigmakers and makeup artists were also available in these rooms.
After getting ready, guests went to a smaller ballroom. Here, Cornelia Bradley-Martin greeted everyone. A helper announced each guest's name and the historical character they were dressed as. This went on for about 90 minutes! It was after midnight before Cornelia could join the main ballroom for the first dance.
Amazing Costumes
Cornelia Bradley-Martin asked her guests to choose costumes from the 16th, 17th, or 18th centuries. People came dressed as all sorts of characters, including George Washington, a Japanese nobleman, an Egyptian princess, and even Pocahontas. The New York Times newspaper even published a list of guests and their chosen characters before the event.
Cornelia Bradley-Martin herself dressed as Mary, Queen of Scots. Her gold-embroidered gown was covered in pearls and jewels worth over $60,000! Bradley Martin, her husband, dressed as Louis XV of France in a fancy court suit. The diamond buttons on the men's outfits were often worth thousands of dollars. The value of the historic jewels worn by the ladies was almost impossible to describe. To give you an idea, the average American earned about $400 a year at that time.
One young artist, Otho Cushing, caused a stir with his Italian falconer costume. It was a full-body tight suit with a short jacket and a cap, and he even had a stuffed falcon on his arm! It was historically accurate but very eye-catching.
Decorations and Music
The smaller ballroom was decorated with furniture from the Louis XV of France period. The walls were covered with beautiful tapestries. Roses were thrown onto the tapestries and left where they landed. The Hungarian band, led by Carl Berlinger, played 12 concert songs chosen by Mrs. Bradley-Martin throughout the evening.
In the grand ballroom, guests saw a wall with 15 large mirrors. The musicians' balcony was hidden behind pink roses, and garlands of flowers hung from above. There were over 5,000 roses and 3,000 orchids used in the decorations!
The café area was also decorated to feel cozy. There were 125 tables, each seating six guests, with beautiful roses in the center.
The Dances
The ball officially began with a special dance called the danse d’honneur, organized by Caroline Astor. Cornelia Bradley-Martin, dressed as the Queen, led the dance with John Jacob Astor as the King. For this dance, the orchestra played music by Beethoven.
After that, the orchestra played a polonaise by Frédéric Chopin, announcing the next dance, a minuet. Then, for the dance of the debutantes (young women making their first appearance in society), the orchestra played dance music from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Don Giovanni". This dance was livelier and more difficult. It was a Hungarian Court quadrille, and it ended the special exhibition dances. After these, everyone could join in general dancing until supper time.
Fun and Souvenirs
A dance called the cotillion started at 3 AM. It was quite funny to watch the gentlemen dance with swords at their sides! The swords often got tangled in gowns and laces, and some dancers tripped, which entertained the onlookers. Elisha Dyer, Jr. led this dance.
As a special souvenir, Cornelia Bradley-Martin chose small silver figures and a staff for each guest. These "favors" were given out by Elisha Dyer, Jr. during the cotillion.
See also
In Spanish: Baile Bradley-Martin para niños
