The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-02-11
The Bradley--Martin Ball
the Social Triumph Of
the Century.
The Beautiful Floral Decorations
Formed a Sylvan Bower
Without q NOxiOus Plant.
800" WERE IN THEIR GLORY
Fortunes Spent By Guests Foi
Costumes Gotham and Probably the
World Has Never Seen Its Equal.

New York. Feb. 1l.-Mrs. Bradley
Martin stepped into the large ballroom
of the Waldorf just after IL this morn
| ing. and the grandest and most elabor-
| ate ball ever given on the American con.
tinent, If not in the world. one which
rivalled the famous fetes OF old world
courts and great houses. began.
Beyond description. beyond even the
liveliest imaginations of her guests
blazing with splendor and personal
| adornments. graced by women whose
are distinguished in all walks of life. the
scene entranced all who were permitted
| to gaze upon Ii.
All that the wealth Of the great me-
tropolis could command In the markets
Of the world, all that the jewellers, the
florists. the costumers. the epicures, the
composers, the designers of the big city
could give in response to that command
was bestowed with a lavishness and ex-
travagance that was simply startling in
its very munificence.
After q month of preparation, after
Mrs. Bradley Martin had done every
thing that could be done to make law
/.
the ball vas opened Just before mid
night. Hours before that. however. ev-
cry street in the fefghborhood of the
Waldorf haa been. crowded with peo-
PIE, those who were the coming guests
and the still greater numbers 'dra wen b.
curi6ity. Carriages came In an end
less stream, discharged their occupants
and rolled away. To those whs looked
90
detail, all seemed hurry and confusion.
where, in reality, 1t was the perfection
Of regularity. Still, with the 700 odd
guests, much time was needed to set all
into the hotel, and they were not all
there when the ball was opened.
Every feature Of the Vail and all con
corning 1t in the slightest was guarded
closely. Mrs. Bradley Martin. from the
first. insisted that the ball WIS for her
guests. and that the first intimatfon of
the decorations should be received when
the guests entered the ballroom.
Arrangements for receiving the guests
as they arrived were as nearly perfect
as they could be- Carriages approached
from Fifth avenue, east, through Thir-
ty third street. The guests alighted
from the carriages and went directly 10
were received by Mrs. Martin in the
small ballroom. In this room Mrs. Mar
tin stood on a dais, slightly raised under
canopy of rare tapestries. The
scheme of decorations i'm this reception
room was that of the tDne of Louis w..
and before the dais passed the counter
felt presentments of all the prominent
people of that time, to mingle in pic
r.
other days.
After being received by the hostess,
the guests passed through fiower-lined
corridor into the large ballroom
In the early portion of the evening,
dancing in the small ballroom on the
first floor had been general. and IL was
not until all the guests had paid their
respects to Mrs. Bradley Martin. the
hostess, in the small ballroom, and she
had been escorted to the ballroom prop
er. that the fancy dress ball was de-
clared formally opened
In the small gallery. where were the
members OF the Twenty-second Regi-
ment band and the Hungarian band. the
music suddenly stopped. There was ST.
lcnce Tor just moment, to be broken b..
flourish OF trumpets as Mrs. Bradley.
Martin and her escort, John Jacob AS
tor. entered the room. A moment later
they had taken their places at the head
OF the room. There was another flour.
ish OF the trumpets. which told that the
ouadrile q dhonneur. arranged by Mrs.
william Astor, was about TO be opened.
| Ihe FORMING OF the first figure, Tile
| Saiute' was IKE the turning OF pages OF
| history. The characters gathered from
1 Inns of 4 (,
| Bradley Martin. wearing a Marie Stuart
costume. copied from an old plate OF
| that queens time: John Jacob Astor in
Louis vi. court costume; l. Town
scnd Martin. as a cavalier OF the court O!
Louis NIL, and Henry Lohr in Louis
Nv. court costume. From another Sec
| ton or the room came Mrs. Orme VIII
son. looking picturesque in a Louis XVI
court dress or white and silver brocade
which followed the elaborate designs o;
the period, and Mrs. Whitney Warren
wearing costume Of pale blue brocade
and SILK, after the style OF the time OF
Louis XIV. Lispenard Steward closelt
followed his partner. Mrs. Whtney
Warren. and looked elegant In his drcs.
OF cavalier OF the court OF Louis MIL
The others OF the l6 who took thei,
places In this quadrille were Mrs. Lee
Taller. Craig Wadsworth. Miss Gerry
Center Hitchcock. Miss Lena Morton.
j. Van Allen. Miss Madeline Cutting
Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish
As these partners took their place,
and waited for the opening first bars
OF the music. the scene was the mos,
impressive Of the night. FOR. beyont
these characters OF action. about then
on every side. were the rich laces. tn,
glittering gems and all that went q
make up the historically representa-,
personages OF the ball. the whole back.
grounded by the natural flowers. tn,
lights and the ferns
In the following way THE Salute" wa.
danced: Mrs. Fish and Mr.. vancort