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The Bradley-Martin Ball was a costume ball at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City on the night of February 10, 1897. Cornelia Bradley-Martin organized the ball, with the intention of making it "the greatest party in the history of the city". Eight hundred socialites spent about $400,000 imitating kings and queens. The significance of the ball stems from the fact that it was being thrown amid the Long Depression. Across the country, preachers and editorial writers argued over the propriety of a party that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the end, the ball was both a triumph and a disaster.

Before the Ball

In the three weeks leading up to it, New York society made the ball its one topic of discussion. The Bradley-Martins drew fire from all directions, as newspapers criticized its extravagance and during their sermons, clergymen urged their congregations not to attend. One clergyman denounced the ball by saying “you rich people put next to nothing in the collection plate, and yet you’ll spend thousands of dollars on Mrs. Bradley-Martin’s ball”.

Concept

Mrs. Bradley-Martin’s idea was to give a costume ball at so short notice that her guests would not have time to get their dresses from Paris, and instead support local businesses. This overlapped with the idea that it was much better for the laboring people if the wealthy spent their money locally instead of taking it to Europe.

The Reverend Dr. Rainsford believed in the rich giving money to be distributed as charity, whereas others, including the members of the Musical Mutual Protective Union (MMPU), disagreed. They believed in the wealthy spending their wealth in enjoying themselves, and thus giving hundreds and thousands of working people an opportunity to earn money and maintain their self-respect instead of having to accept charity. The MMPU became indignant when they heard that the Marine Band was to be at the ball instead of musicians from their union. The members of the Marine Band did not urgently need the money that they were going to receive from the ball.

Preparations

Florist Small was in charge of the decorations for the Bradley-Martin ball. Decorating the Waldorf began on the morning of February 9 by A.W. Merritt, Small’s colleague. In the days leading up to the event, dealers’ stocks and household stores were ransacked to supply the demand for ornaments and historical accuracy. All the jewelers who dealt in antiques were cleaned out of all they had on hand. Jewels held as heirlooms by the old families of New York were taken from safety vaults. Laces that had been locked away in family chests or in safe deposit vaults for long years had been retrieved.

Twelve hundred invitations were issued for the event, but only a little more than half of those invited were in attendance. Many that did come also left early, seeming to only have made an appearance out of curiosity. They must have planned to leave early, as half the carriages were ordered to be ready to depart before the time set for the cotillion.

The Waldorf

Police officers stood guard at the entrance to the Waldorf. Mr. and Mrs. Bradley-Martin arrived first at 10:15 pm. At half past 10 a group of carriages arrived and before 11 the stream of guests had become continuous. The guests were ushered in to the Waldorf, whereupon they ascended to the corridors on the second floor where 15 dressing rooms were available for the use and comfort of the guests. Some guests, preferring not to expose themselves on the street while wearing tempting fortunes in jewels and laces, changed into their costumes at this point. This wasn’t done through any feeling of fear, but merely as a wise precaution. Wigmakers and make-up artists were available in these rooms. When leaving the dressing rooms the guests headed to the smaller ballroom. It was here where Mrs. Bradley-Martin received her guests. A lackey announced the guests’ names and the characters they impersonated to her. This stream of guests poured by her for nearly 90 minutes and it was after midnight before she was able to enter the main ballroom to take her place in the opening quadrille d’honneur.

Costumes

The costumes worn at this ball were extraordinary. Mrs. Bradley-Martin requested her guests to pick something from English, French, or German history of the period from 1500 to 1900. A list was compiled and published in the New York Times three days prior to the event, listing guests and the historical characters they were going to personate and what costumes they were going to wear. Mrs. Bradley-Martin personated Mary Stuart, and her gold embroidered gown was trimmed with pearls and precious stones. Bradley Martin, as Louis XV, wore a Court suit of white and pink brocaded satin (Montgomery). Interestingly, the American characters that belong within the specified periods were almost totally ignored. Only two George Washingtons were on the entire list.

Decorations

The smaller ballroom was set throughout with furniture of the Louis XV period, and the walls were hung with tapestry draperies. Roses were hurled en masse against the draperies and let remain where they landed. The side of the room, where the Hungarian band was placed, was concealed by long-stemmed roses and garlands were dropped from the center to each side and over the mirrors. The Hungarian Band, under the leadership of Carl Berlinger, played 12 concert selections, chosen by Mrs. Bradley-Martin, throughout the evening.

Upon entering the grand ballroom the guests faced a wall in which 15 mirrors were imbedded. The far side of the room, the musicians’ balcony, was concealed by pink roses, with garlands also hanging from above. There were over 5,000 roses and 3,000 orchids in these various groupings.

The café and the court were also decorated, with a desired homelike effect. 125 tables were set up, each to accommodate six guests, with a centerpiece of Beauty roses.

Music

The danse d’honneur, arranged by Mrs. Astor Sr., opened the ball. The company was led by Mrs. Bradley-Martin, in the role of the Queen, escorted by Mr. John Jacob Astor as the King. For this danse d’honneur, the orchestra played music composed by Beethoven. Following this, the orchestra started playing one of Chopin’s polonaises announcing the approach of Mrs. Edmund L. Baylies and her associates for the minuet. When they formed for the minuet the orchestra struck into Mozart’s dance music out of "Don Giovanni". The dance of the debutantes was next, and it was livelier than the others and the most difficult of all. The members of this set, organized by Mrs. Frederic Bronson, danced a Hungarian Court quadrille, the Kormagyar, in music arranged by Allen Dodworth. This quadrille ended the exhibition dances. General dancing followed the three quadrilles until supper time.

Supper

At around one in the morning the guests were welcomed in to the supper room. The menu, in French, was split into chaud, froid, and entremets de douceur. The supper very much resembled those furnished for the Patriarch and Assembly balls, embracing canvasback, terrapin, and champagne. 100 waiters were on hand to meet the guests’ wants.

Entertainment and Favors

The cotillion commenced at three, and spectators found amusement as the gentlemen danced it with swords at their sides. Swords got tangled in gowns and laces, and courtiers tripped over them, to the delight of the spectators. Elisha Dyer, Jr. led the cotillion.

Mrs. Bradley-Martin selected small silver figures and a staff as “favors” for each of the guests of the ball. The “favors” were awarded by Elisha Dyer, Jr. as leader of the cotillion.

Reaction and Controversy

After the ball many ministers preached against its excessive consumption and the authorities promptly raised Bradley-Martin’s taxes quite out of proportion to those paid by anyone else, with the matter only being settled after a long dispute. The Bradley-Martins, returned permanently to their homes in England and Scotland, where they leased a 65,000 acre estate, Balmacaan.

The Bradley-Martin ball is remembered as one of the wrong ways money can be spent. It further accentuated the divide between the upper class and the rest of society. The rich were not able to attain the respect of the other classes because of instances like this. In addition, inter-class conflict affected the upper class, and the Bradley-Martin ball highlighted this internal division.

Notes

Category:Progressivism