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Title: Reminiscences of a fancy dress ball, in Philadelphia, February 1850
Description: View puportedly showing "Naylor's Grand Fancy Dress Party" at the Masonic Hall on February 5, 1850. Party attendees, most in costume, crowd the floor and balconies of the hall. Costumed guests include a monk holding a cross, harlequins, peasants, Native Americans, and fops. Also shows some guests displaying suggestive behavior, including nuzzling and a man holding a woman's breast. A small orchestra plays in the right of the image and guests dance in the background. Hall decorated with a tropical backdrop., Manuscript note on recto: Chinese Museum., Title partially printed on mount., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 638, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 04 H 291, Manuscript note on verso: Purchased from Charles Sussler 9/11/[19]57. Penrose fund., Name and location of ball supplied by Wainwright as cited in the Public Ledger, February 5, 1850, p. 3. Scene more likely of the Maennechor Fancy Dress Ball at the Chinese Museum announced in the Public Ledger, February 4, 1850.
Creator: Harnisch, Carl, 1800-1883, artist
Date: [1850]
Location: Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 04 H 291

Title: 49th social assembly and fancy dress party of the Mercantile Reading Association. Musical Fund Hall, Thursday March 22, 1866
Description: Ticket for the Phildelphia Jewish social club event containing vignettes and filigree. Vignettes show couples attired in medieval and peasant costumes. Also shows one of the costumed men holding a banner marked "MRA." The Mercantile Reading Association, originally the Mercantile Club, was established in 1853., Cataloging funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (PW-506-19-10), 2010-2012., See also the proofs before tint stones [P.9349.140e&154e].
Date: [1866]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department albums - Specimens Album [P.9349.153m]

Title: Philadelphia Carnival. Easter Monday Night April 18th 1881 at the Academy of Music
Description: Ticket depicting a festive scene for the Philadelphia Carnival Bal Masque organized by the Maennechor Society, the city's German singing society. Scene depicts a man masquerading as a jester in a red costume breaking out of an egg-shaped prop (adorned with the date and location of the event) that lies on the back of a man costumed as a clown. The clown is attired in a white ensemble and is prone, lying on his stomach, and propped up by his hands. The clown wears a pointed hat, ruffled collar, wide-sleeved shirt, and blue-striped pants. Another jester, attired in a red head dress, blue shirt, and tan leggings, stands and watches to the left of the cracking egg from which his fellow jester propels himself. Above the standing jester, a putti pulls up a green drape with gold trim. In the right, in front of the clown and jester in red, a man with long blonde hair and costumed in colonial-era attire bows. He holds a tri-corn hat in his hand and wears a dark-brown coat, blue pantaloons, red shoes, and a flowing gold cape. In the right background, stands a group of male and female spectators costumed as a renaissance man, scullery maid, bald-headed clown, wizard, knight, and Quaker couple. The Maennerchor Society's Carnival Bal Masque began about 1864 and continued throughout at least the 1890s. The Carnival was usually a charity event and included masquerade, music, singing, dancing, and tableaux., Title and date from item., Contains gilt border., Purchased with funds for the Visual Culture Program (Junto Fund 2015).
Date: [1881]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department ephemera - Tickets - P [P.2017.92.1]

Title: [Halloween party, Doering family and friends in costume at the Doering residence, 1837 N. Bouvier Street, Philadelphia.]
Description: Depicts eight people standing and posing in a corner, dressed in costumes for a Halloween party held by the Doerings in their N. Bouvier Street home circa 1897. Catharine Rupp Doering (left) is dressed as a man. The three boys have painted their faces black, but one is wearing a bonnet, the other a conical dunce cap. Two of the boys may be dressed as maids. A woman in the center wears a cloth covered with stars on her head., Title supplied by cataloguer., Gift of Albert L. Doering.
Creator: Doering, William Harvey, 1858-1924, photographer
Date: ca. 1897
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department lantern slides - Doering [P.9453.156]

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