#The Vanderbilt Ball of 1883

[gwydionmisha]

The Vanderbilt Ball of 1883 and the Dumb Rich People Drama that Caused It

[omgthatdress]

Miss Kate Fearing Strong at the Vanderbilt Ball, 1883

[oriondec]

Kate “Puss” Fearson was one of the over 70,000 guests at the Vanderbilt Ball of 1883.

[roscoe-conkling]

At Alva Vanderbilt's ball on March 26, 1883, Miss Kate Feering Strong wore a gown made of white cat pelts, sporting a white cat hat. Not everything about the Gilded Age was tasteful. The dogs were relieved.

[sethshead]

“Why, yes, that 𝘪𝘴 a taxidermied cat on her head and that choker necklace does, indeed, read ‘PUSS.’

“Miss Kate Fearing Strong, who author Henry James described as ‘youthful and precocious,’ decided that this was the fit for the social event of 1883—the Vanderbilt Ball. Inspired by her nickname ‘Puss,’ Strong’s costume consisted of not only a stuffed cat head, as seen in the image, but also seven cat tails sewn onto her skirt. Read more about the event on our blog: bit.ly/3O65ZTf 

“Museum of the City of New York, F2012.58.1460 #NationalKittenDay”

h/t Museum of the City of New York

[nebris]

The Vanderbilt Ball of 1883 and the Dumb Rich People Drama that Caused It

[castrotophic]

hey thanks for the tag blueeee 😊😊😊💖💖💖

3 ships: kakagai, phan, sakunaru (lmao these are just the most recent fics ive read)

first ship ever: GOTTA be percabeth, but harry/hermione was around that time as well (i regret many things)

last song: vs The Heat Death of the Universe! by The Narcissist Cookbook

last movie: uhhhh literally can't remember... i think it must have been when i watched La vita è bella a few weeks ago (genuinely best war movie i have ever seen in my life i could write an essay about it but i won't ill just say that life literally IS beautiful and so is that movie)

currently reading: uhhh i mean until thursday? naruto manga... but i finished it and ive just been reading fanfiction lmao. next on my tbr is The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride tho!!

currently watching: ummm at this exact moment im watching a documentary about the vanderbilt ball of 1883 that @catsconflictscopicsandchamomile sent me and its WILD you guys should look it up... as for actual shows im just starting s4 of brooklyn nine nine and i love it

currently consuming: just got home from buffalo wild wings so that was yummy... and then i ate a chocolate pecan toffee cookie so that was also yummy

currently craving: ummm craving for it to be may 18 (day after my last final)

ill tag @catsconflictscopicsandchamomile @bondnamesthejames @butchclues and all my other mutuals who i love!!!

Tag 9 people you want to get to know better!

3 ships: The Millennium Falcon, a Rebel X-Wing, and Slave I

First ship ever: I think that was the Disney Magic

Note: ships meant pairings here but I decided to be a facetious

Last Song: A Thousand Years part 2 because I was feeling sappy

Last Movie: The Fall Guy

Currently Reading: After Alice by Gregory Maguire

Currently Watching: Home Improvement

Currently Consuming Being Consumed By: the need to nap

Currently Craving: a nap

Thanks for the tag @aintinacage

No pressure tags: @marvel-and-dc-geek @fleursfairies @marinarashakeyobooty @cyphers-and-sunspots @indoraptorgirlwind @marvelstuff-iguess @askazara and anyone else who wants to play

[aiiaiiiyo]

[sanctamater]

miss a. van nostrand at the new york patriarch’s fancy dress ball - january 1892, and 1893

[toadlessgirl]

If no one attempts to recreate this actual Gilded Age look from the 1883 Vanderbilt Ball for the MET Gala, then what’s even the point?

[diioonysus]

in 1883, new york’s elite party was hosted: mrs. w.k. vanderbilt’s costume ball. in this era, caroline schermerhorn astor dominated the gilded age society. she determined who was put on this invitation list

[kitsnicket]

Im not sure if it’s intentional but Genesis Suero’s dress reminds me of the electric light dress worn by Alice Vanderbilt for the 1883 masquerade ball

[gentlyepigrams]

“Electric Light” fancy dress designed by House of Worth for Alice Vanderbilt, worn to the Vanderbilt Ball, March 26, 1883. Museum of the City of New York.

[voicesknowmyname]

It’s WAY too early for Gilded Age season 2 predictions but I don’t care…

1.) they are definitely going to bring in the Vanderbilts for season 2

This season we had to be introduced to our main families (the Russells, the van Rhijns/brooks, and of course the Astors) + their staff and that’s already a lot of characters to remember, it would have been too much to also include the vanderbilts this season. But they’ve already been mentioned and they’re arguably the most recognizable famous name and should be easy to introduce next season.

The main reason I think they’ll be in it in the future?

Alva f*cking Vanderbilt.

This woman changed NY society practically overnight thanks to a costume ball in 1883 (one year after this show starts)

we’ve already been introduced to Carrie Astor, and according to legend she had desperately wanted to go to the Vanderbilt’s ball and had already begun to practice certain dances with her friends. But Alva schemed like no one else could and purposely didn’t send her an invitation so that mrs. Astor would have to come and call on her and make the Vanderbilts look accepted by THE Mrs. Astor before the Astors were invited.

And people went over the top for this ball (check out pics in the link). One woman had a dress with cat tails and a taxidermied cat head as a hat *barf*

2.) The Brooklyn Bridge will open (duh) but I think they’ll cover the rumor that it was going to collapse and caused a stampede (killing 12 people) and most likely have Peggy in that situation because her parents live in Brooklyn

-fun fact: they led 21 elephants across the bridge in 1884 to prove it was safe lol

3.) the depression (1882-1885)

How can you not at least mention it when the men on this show are business/railroad tycoons?

4.) Vanderbilts Part II: The Metropolitan Opera House Opens

I don’t think they’ve mentioned it so far, but if they go to 1883 next season idk how they can’t mention this one.

Old money families refused to allow new money families, including the Vanderbilts, to hold boxes at the Academy of Music.

So what did Alva Vanderbilt do? Led the new money families in building a new opera house that quickly outshined the old money favorite and led to the Academy being closed just two years later.

My biggest hope is that we can see Alva and Bertha scheming together- they’d have such an interesting frenemy dynamic since they both want to be accepted by society but they’re also kind of competition to each other

[chaoticdesertdweller]

Kate Strong attends the Vanderbilt Ball of 1883 wearing a taxidermied cat on her head and a "Puss" choker around her neck. Top that, Met Gala!

[montmartre-parapluie]

So, someone has been Lurking a round the Shadow and Bone fandom - mostly inspired by the fabulously talented @orlissa’s and @jomiddlemarch ‘s glorious fics, which give a GREAT nod to a more historically grounded Grishaverse. And... I do keep going to Pinterest and staring at pretty gowns, (coincidentally in shades of gold and black)... so...

Oh, what the hell. I make no apologies, people. This mad historical fashion dump is my ‘give Alina ALL the imposing gowns and elegant outfits’ -and possibly a shadowmancer husband post...

A Radiant Ballgown - Literally!

First off, I COULDN’T pass up this gown! It was designed by Charles Frederick Worth for an 1883 fancy dress ball in New York for one of the Vanderbilts, who appeared as the personification of “Electric Light”.

This was a very cutting edge costume for the time. The dress even came equipped with a battery to power an electric torch carried in one hand.

(But who needs batteries when you’re a Grisha Sun Summoner?)

It’s a glorious combination of butter yellow and white silk, with hints of lustrous black velvet at the hem. The spangled gold embroidery all over the gown would glitter under strong light - which is just PERFECT for a Sun Summoner to wear whilst demonstrating her powers. It’s also no bad outfit to wear if you have Unresolved Sexual Tension with your shadowy nemesis whilst dancing in the midst of a decadent Lentsov masquerade ball. This gown sort of begs for that kind of high-melodrama!

Keftas Galore...

Now, I don’t know whether I���m subconscious channelling some ‘last days of the Romanovs/Anastasia’ vibes when I think about keftas for Alina...

(Not ... quite what I’m going for)

but... I ended up looking at Paul Poiret Edwardian evening coats for inspiration, and oh my goodness, the sheer luxurious drama of them all!

Grisha keftas... because they’re worth it. (The one on the right feels very ‘Decadent Tango with the Darkling’ to me)

I mean, if you’re going to have to rule as a benevolent dictator with your shadowmancer husband after overthrowing a corrupt regime in order to protect Grishakind and Ravka, you might as well look amazing while doing it, right? In colours which show how you “balance” each other out...

The gorgeous yellow velvet robe on the right looks like maybe the costume designer from Shadow and Bone used it as inspiration for Alina’s gold kefta? either way, the black appliqué is GORGEOUS. And I would wear it in a heartbeat.

Plus, if you couple them with the breathtaking Mario Fortuny gowns of the late teens/early 20s, it gives a gorgeous look that very much plays into the ‘Sankta Alina’ image...

They come in gold and black, for choosing your look: ‘Sun Summoner’ or ‘Dark Bride of the Starless Saint’.

I have to admit, my shipping brain chose these last couple of fluttery dressing gowns for the fact they would be very tactical for persuading Aleksander to stop working on his battle strategies and come to bed.

I’m sorry. i’m trash.

A massive, massive thank you to all the wonderful fic writers out there!