The Bourbon news., 1897-02-16
The Bradley-Martin Ball Discussed.
Written For The BOURBON NEWS.
NEW YORK, Feb. 13, 1897.

Mrs. Bradley Martin gave her $500, 900
bal masque Wednesday night at the
Waldorf, and it has passed into history
as the most splendid social event ever
seen in America. The ball was beauti-
full beyond the most fanciful dream of
magnifcence, beauty and picturesque
ness. Fully eight hundred guests, most
| ly garbed in costumes of the sixteenth,
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries,
were present-nineteenth century
clothes being tabooed. More than two
hundred pseudo American queens far
eclipsed the ancient queens Of France
and England in beauty, grace, splendid
gowns, and crowns and dazzling tiaras.
The floral decorations of the ballroom,
the parlors, balls and dressing rooms
were very elaborate, costing about
Sc 900. The. mirrors and chandeliers
were decked with roses, ivy, orchids and
smilax, and easy chairs and sofas were
made into secluded Irritation bowers''by
the liberal use of flowers while portierres
of pink roses also curtained off cozy
hooks in the ball room. On each of 1875
tables in the dining room was huge
vase of pink roses. The rooms and cor
ridors were as beautiful as a peep into
fairyland.
AS the guests entered the ball room
they handed card bearing their name
and the character they represented, to a
herald, who announced it to the assem-
bly,. Then the guest proceeded to the
dias and paid his or her respects to Mr..
and Mrs. Bradley Martin.
Mr. Martins costume was fashioned
after the time of Louis XI, and was of
pink satin, embroidered with gold and
trimmed with point lace. He wore a
diamond brooch, diamond rings and a
jeweled rapier.
Mrs. Bradley Martin opened the ball
by dancing the quadriLle dhOnneur with
John Jacob Astor, who represented
Henry of Navarro Mrs Martins Co.'S
tune was Elizebethan in design, and
was sapphire-blue velvet, with long
train of black velvet. The skirt was
caught up on one side to show and old
rose petticoat trimmed with silver lace.
Around her neck she wore a collar of
seven rows of diamonds and rubies, to-
gether with three ropes of the same
jewels, and her head was surmounted
by the celebrated tiara.
The m1nuet began at midnight, led by
Worthington Whitehouse and Mrs.
Orme Wilson, and was followed by sew
eral lancers and quadrilles At three
o'clock Mr.. Elisha Dyer, Jr, garbed as
Francis I, began to lead the cotillion
with Mrs. Martin. Mr.. Dyer's costume
was of purple velvet god embroidered,
with violet silk feshiugs-a most superb
costume. The dance was not over until
six o'clock. The favors were herald's
bugles with silken flags suspended, min
iature sedan chairs of gilt, shepherds
crooks, silver match safes, and silver
repousse court-plaster cases. The ball
cost the Bradley Martins about O,OOO,
but the expenses Of the guests will swell
the total cost to about 100000.
The costumes of the guests were mag
nifcent and twenty columns would be
necessary to describe them. The cos
tunes of Mrs. G. S. Brice and daughter,
a d Mrs. Fred Ce ,hardt wereIamong the
most splendid noticed, and Mrs. Astor's
jewels were the finest ever worn at any
social event in any period.
The Bradley Martins were ambitious
to give the most superb fancy dress ball
the world has ever seen and most
brilliantly did they succeed. Their ball
eclipsed the famous Vanderbilt ball and
any one ever given in the old world,
and was given despite the score of
threatening letters, three of them writ
ten in blood, received by Mrs. Martin
from anarchists.
1t is estimated that the cost of the
ball was distributed as follows, and the
reader may easily see how many de-
serving people have profted by the ball:
Costumes, $3.50, 1000; ballroom, $1,000;
receiving room $500; supper, buffet, ETC.
$4,000; decorations $4,000; cotillion,
foors, $4,000; music, $780,;
detectives $4,000; carriages; SER
wants, $4,000; invitations, postage,
$3.50; wigmakers, hair dressers, makeup,
$500; shoemakers, gloves, $4,000;
dancing masters 81 900; photographers,
$3.50; private dinner parties prior to
ball, $1,000; flowers for same, $4,000 ;
ushers and carriage callers, $3.50. This
does not include the earnings of thou
sands of errand boys and girls, messengers
etc., who made Ia neat sum off the
ball. And yet there are people who
blame Mrs. Martin for causing all this
money to be put in circulation. Rev.
Talmage says that the person who can