Costume Ball photograph collection
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Abstract
Collection of photographs and mounted clippings portraying society notables in costumes for a variety of New York balls held between 1875 and 1932. The majority of the photographs portray attendees of the 1883 Vanderbilt Ball.
Historical Note
The Costume Ball Photograph Collection consists of photographs and some mounted clippings portraying members of high society in costume for a variety of balls held in New York City between 1875 and 1932. The majority of the collection came as a gift from Harold Seton, a theater enthusiast and prominent collector of photographs of stage celebrities, politicians, and upper class notables.
Most of the photographs in this collection were taken by Mora, the studio of Josè Maria Mora, a Cuban refugee who moved to the United States in 1868 and opened a photography studio in 1870. Mora was an extremely popular portrait studio in the closing decades of the nineteenth century; it was especially well known for its specialization in theatrical portraits and its wide range of elaborate theatrical backdrops and props.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in six series:
Series I: Beaux-Arts Balls
Series II: Bradley Martin Ball
Series III: Delmonico Ball
Series IV: Hewitt Ball
Series V: Vanderbilt Ball
Series VI: Miscellaneous and Unidentified Balls
Scope and Contents
The Costume Ball Photograph Collection spans the period from 1875 to 1932 and primarily contains portraits, in the form of photographs or mounted clippings, of society notables in attendance at New York costume balls. The collection is arranged alphabetically by the common name of each ball, and thereunder by name of sitter. Groups are filed under one individual's name with cross references provided under other sitters' names. Unidentified balls are filed at the end of the collection. In general, women are listed under their final married names, with first and maiden names following when known. Photographs are assumed to have been taken close to the date of each ball; for clippings, publication dates are given.
Subjects
Families
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People
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Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as Costume Ball Photograph Collection, PR 223, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Costume Ball Photograph Collection has been compiled from a variety of gifts. The majority of the collection came as a gift from Harold Seton in 1927. Other gifts include those of George C.D. Odell in 1928, Mrs. John H. Coster in 1933, Mrs. F.R. Appleton in 1941, Henry V. Warner in 1944, and Mrs. William R. Stewart in 1977.