I suspect it was a costume ball, either in 18th-century dress or with
this "set" in 18th-century dress. Note that 1867 is almost, though not
quite, a centennial year of the Declaration of Independence.
For fancy costume balls, it was not uncommon for a group of people to
get together to dress in one historic theme, work up a dance that they
felt was evocative of that era (though Victorian "18th-century" dances
for such occasions were usually faux recreations, even at times when old
people who had actually done 18th-century dances were still around), and
dance it together at the ball.
In this case, for a near-centennial in the capital, possibly one set did
a commemorative dance. Or a number of people, while not actually in
historic dress, did something such as wearing hair powder to honor the
theme.
Fran
Lavolta Press
http://www.lavoltapress.com
Agnes Gawne wrote:
My brother sent me a question about fashion in 1867 - specifically
regarding a ball in Washington DC. Do any of you have any idea why an
1867 woman would powder her hair or wear a blue ribbon around her neck?
Here is the original quote. It's taken from the letters of John Hay. He
was Abraham Lincoln's private secretary all during the Lincoln
administration and then got sent to France as a diplomatic attache
during the Johnson administration. He wrote about the ball in DC in
February 1867 when he'd just returned from Paris.
begin quote:
"February 11. Mrs. Sprague gave a beautiful ball. The ladies who
danced the Cotillon, and many who did not, had their hair powdered a
la marquise. I have never seen so beautiful and picturesque a
roomful. Some of the most striking were the Hostess herself (with
whom I danced), the Hoyts, Miss Romain Goddard, Miss Haggerty, and
Mrs. Banks, who was very correctly dressed, even to the extend of the
blue ribbon around the neck, a little refinement in which she was
alone -- Miss Kinzie, a fresh Western beauty and a superb danseuse.
Mrs. Sumner and Miss Hooper, though not powdered, were beautifully
dressed."
:end quote
I have my theories but I don't want to influence any of your answers as
they are just theories.
Thanks,
Agnes
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