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Published by Lyons Press
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
Never-before-published photos take you inside the nineteenth century’s most expensive party, which attracted an exclusive guest list of costumed society attendees and ultimately marked the end of Gilded Age excess.
For almost a century, the Bradley Martin Ball of 1897 held pride of place as the most expensive private party ever given in America (more than fourteen million dollars in today’s equivalent, not counting attendees’ costumes and jewelry). The guest list, representing the epitome of social and economic classes, was stellar and despite a major snowstorm almost 900 of the invited 1,200 guests attended. Old family jewels were taken out of storage and worn conspicuously. Thousands of roses and out-of-season orchids were shipped from Florida to the Waldorf-Astoria’s ballroom, which was transformed into a replica of Versailles. Liveried servants announced each guest by name and the historical figures they portrayed. The opening danse d’honneur was arranged by “the” Mrs. Astor. Police Commissioner Teddy Roosevelt oversaw heavy security outside the hotel while his wife was a guest inside. Costumed guests included members of the Astor, Coudert, Cunard, Drexel, Dupont, Fish, Lorillard, Morgan, Rockefeller, Stillman, and Vanderbilt families.
The photos of the attendees reveal a fascinating cross-section of nineteenth-century society, from members of the elite "400" to actors, artists, and authors who were not normally on the “A” list. The event, held in the final years of the Gilded Age during an economic recession in New York City, was envisioned to give patronage to out-of-work dressmakers, tailors, milliners, shoemakers, costumers, wigmakers, and seamstresses. The ball was, for its supporters, a sincere attempt to boost the sagging economy and ensure the expenditures reached the hands of individual workers. But all the glamor and mystique of the evening were appropriated by the media to paint the Martins in the harshest light and the ball was depicted as an obscene display of wealth. Public opinion about wealthy society patrons was regrettably transformed from admiration and appreciation to criticism and condemnation.
There would be one more attempt to surpass the ball, but it failed miserably. By then, the Gilded Age was only a memory, leaving the Bradley Martin Ball as its last—and grandest—celebration.
For almost a century, the Bradley Martin Ball of 1897 held pride of place as the most expensive private party ever given in America (more than fourteen million dollars in today’s equivalent, not counting attendees’ costumes and jewelry). The guest list, representing the epitome of social and economic classes, was stellar and despite a major snowstorm almost 900 of the invited 1,200 guests attended. Old family jewels were taken out of storage and worn conspicuously. Thousands of roses and out-of-season orchids were shipped from Florida to the Waldorf-Astoria’s ballroom, which was transformed into a replica of Versailles. Liveried servants announced each guest by name and the historical figures they portrayed. The opening danse d’honneur was arranged by “the” Mrs. Astor. Police Commissioner Teddy Roosevelt oversaw heavy security outside the hotel while his wife was a guest inside. Costumed guests included members of the Astor, Coudert, Cunard, Drexel, Dupont, Fish, Lorillard, Morgan, Rockefeller, Stillman, and Vanderbilt families.
The photos of the attendees reveal a fascinating cross-section of nineteenth-century society, from members of the elite "400" to actors, artists, and authors who were not normally on the “A” list. The event, held in the final years of the Gilded Age during an economic recession in New York City, was envisioned to give patronage to out-of-work dressmakers, tailors, milliners, shoemakers, costumers, wigmakers, and seamstresses. The ball was, for its supporters, a sincere attempt to boost the sagging economy and ensure the expenditures reached the hands of individual workers. But all the glamor and mystique of the evening were appropriated by the media to paint the Martins in the harshest light and the ball was depicted as an obscene display of wealth. Public opinion about wealthy society patrons was regrettably transformed from admiration and appreciation to criticism and condemnation.
There would be one more attempt to surpass the ball, but it failed miserably. By then, the Gilded Age was only a memory, leaving the Bradley Martin Ball as its last—and grandest—celebration.
Product Details
- Publisher: Lyons Press (January 5, 2027)
- Length: 256 pages
- ISBN13: 9781493095179
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Raves and Reviews
“A glittering, exhaustively researched account of the night the Gilded Age reached its zenith—and began its decline. As someone who has spent years researching the women of this era, I can say Hutto writes with the eye of a true insider and the rigour of a historian, capturing the texture, the ambition, and the quiet desperation behind the diamonds. I devoured it.”
– Julie Montagu, Countess of Sandwich, gildedheiresses.com
"Several members of our family attended the Bradley Martin Ball, and Rick Hutto has vividly recreated that evening—the costumes, the jewels, the dances, the food and drink—with descriptions and never-before published photographs that make us feel as though we were there. It was over-the-top and truly was the end of an era."
– Stillman Rockefeller, artist
“The story of the Bradley Martin Ball in 1897 is one of the great tales of the Gilded Age. Understanding just how it came to be, how it was planned, what the evening was actually like, and—in some ways most importantly—what really happened after the ball was over gives us key insights into this extraordinary moment in American history. Richard Hutto—with his scholar's sense of detail, personal perspective, and storyteller's gift—shares with us, for the first time, the whole story, from the dramatis personae to the events surrounding and after the ball itself. Gilded Finale indeed gives us a unique insight into a glittering age drawing to a close, but more importantly Hutto's research and expert narrative tell us exactly what was going on all along the way.”
– Carl Raymond, host of The Gilded Gentleman history podcast
“This wonderful book is a brilliant insight into that vanished world of Gilded Age America, focused on one lavish costume ball given by the Bradley Martins, known as ‘angels of generosity’ in New York in 1897. Described as a ‘gorgeous, superb, and wondrous spectacle,’ it was as controversial as it was colourful. Hutto’s detailed research, supported by a plethora of old photographs of the event, brings all the costumed characters involved into a sharp focus.”
– Jeremy Musson, architectural historian, author, and chairman of the Country Houses Foundation, UK
“Hutto provides the real history of the Bradley Martin Ball, dispelling past misconceptions. Gilded Finale provides an intimate view of this event, including many stunning black-and-white photos of the attendees in their exotic costumes. This work is the perfect 'bookend' to illustrate the waning days of the Gilded Age.”
– Kathleen Langone, author of The Miniature Painter Revealed: Amalia Kussner's Gilded Age Pursuit of Fame and Fortune
“Richard Hutto’s fascinating study of the Bradley Martin Ball of 1897 is the first thoughtful analysis of this most notorious of all Gilded Age extravaganzas. Who were Cornelia and Bradley Martin? Where did the idea for this costume party come from? What did it take to throw a ball in the middle of winter for 800 people (twice ‘the 400’!) at the newly expanded Waldorf-Astoria hotel? Most importantly of all: what did everybody wear? My great-grandparents, Fred and Ida Grant, were there, along with their twenty-one-year-old daughter Julia, my great-aunt. Hutto details both the guests and their costumes, with an archive of images unique in Gilded Age history. It’s an unforgettable journey into a past that is, in today’s world, hard to imagine.”
– Ulysses Grant Dietz, chief curator emeritus, Newark Museum of Art
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Book Cover Image (jpg): Gilded Finale
eBook 9781493095179
