The DC Traveler

Party like it’s 1865

by Jon on August 13th, 2008

Join members of the Victorian Dance Ensemble, dressed in period costumes and familiar with the customs of the times as they recreate the style, grace and grandeur of Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 Inaugural Ball. Learn a few steps and join in the party.

 The ball was held at a large hall at the US Patent Office at 8th and F Streets, NW. Tickets to the event were $10 with the proceeds going to support the Union was effort.

A brass band played music in the foyer, welcoming the 4,000 guests, while upstairs, a string ensemble played popular dance music from the period.  Women wore silk, satin and velvet dresses, while many men were in Union uniforms or formal evening attire.

I found an online copy of the original menu from the event, as well as

an invite that sold at auction and a dress worn to the event by the wife of the Secretary of the Interior. 

Dr. Lawrence E. Keener-Farley, the Dance Master at The Victorian Dance Ensemble, provided me with a few pointers for attending a dance from that era. It’s interesting how fragile women were thought to be (see #1 and 5) and how clumsy men were assumed to be (see #6).

1860s Ball Room Etiquette:

1. Never forget that ladies are to be first cared for, to have the best seats, the places of distinction, and are entitled in all cases to your courteous protection.
2. If you accompany your wife to a dancing party, be careful not to dance with her, except perhaps for the first set.
3. Be very careful how you refuse to dance with a gentleman. A prior engagement will, of course, excuse you but if you plead fatigue, do not dance the set with another.
4. Dance quietly, do not kick and caper about, nor sway your body to and fro, dance only from the hips downwards.
5. Lead a lady as lightly as you would tread a measure with a spirit of gossamer.
6. The fall of a couple is not a frequent occurrence in a ball room, but when it does happen it is almost always the man’s fault. Girls take much more naturally to the graceful movements of the dance, and are, besides, more often taught in childhood than their brothers.
7. Never remain in a ballroom until all of the company have left, or even until the last set. It is ill-bred, and looks as if you are unaccustomed to such pleasures, and so desirous to prolong each one.
8. It is best to carry two pairs of gloves, as in contact with dark dresses, or in handling refreshments, you may soil a pair, and thus will be under the necessity of offering your hand covered in a soiled glove to some partner.

Quoted from various 1860s sources.

Lincoln’s Inaugural Ball
Smithsonian American Art Museum
8th and G Streets - Great Hall, Third Floor
Washington, DC  (map it)

Dates and Times - Saturday, August 16, 2008, performances at Noon, 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Tickets - FREE

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Gallery Place – Chinatown, Red, Green and Yellow lines, then a 2-block walk or use the DC Circulator.

Parking – Metered street and paid garage parking is available in the area.

Images – Lincoln gown, Mary Todd Lincoln – public domain, Victorian Dance Ensemble photo courtesy of same.

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POSTED IN: Events, Freebies - Free or No Cost, Performing Arts – Plays & Dance