Friday, April 5, 2013

Duchess of Devonshire’s Jubilee Costume Ball 1897

Here's a bit of fun: the cream of Victorian England dressing up to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. To mark the occasion, the Duchess of Devonshire held a costume ball where the guests (a very exclusive club) were asked to dress in some kind of historical costume. It's interesting to look at what they came up with. A photographic service ("Lafayette Co") took pictures of them all, so we can do just that.

 Duchess of Devonshire as Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra
[the hostess herself]
 Count Omar Hadik as his ancestor Field Marshall Count Hadik
[no lack of self-esteem here (or is it insecurity?)]
 Duchess of Portland as the Duchess of Savoy

 Hon Mrs Algernon Bourke as Salammbo the princess of Carthage in Flaubert’s novel

 HRH the Duchess of Connaught as Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV

 Lady Alexandra Colebrooke as Roxana, wife of Alexander the Great

 Lady Alice Montagu as Laure de Sade, an ancestor of the Marquis de Sade
[an...interesting choice]
 Lady de Trafford as Semiramis, Queen of Assyria

 Lady Katherine Scott as Marie Stuart

 Lady Gerard as Astarte, Goddess of the Moon
[Astarte was a fertility goddess, not a moon goddess, but never mind]
Lady Alexandra Acheson in hunting costume, period of Louis XV

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