Step back in time with Stunning Historical Photos showcasing the Elaborate Costumes of Guests at the 1897 Devonshire House Ball

In the heart of London’s social season of 1897, amidst the grandeur and pomp of the Victorian era, the Devonshire House Ball emerged as a spectacle of opulence, elegance, and creativity. Hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire at their palatial London residence in Piccadilly, this fancy dress ball wasn’t just another event in the crowded social calendar; it was the event, a dazzling affair that drew the attention of royalty, aristocrats, and luminaries from across Europe and beyond.

The Occasion and Its Significance

The ball was held in honor of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, marking her 60th year on the throne, a period that had witnessed the zenith of the British Empire. The choice of theme for the costumes—”allegorical or historical dress from before 1815″—opened a vast canvas of creativity for the attendees, allowing them to step back in time and embody figures of historical and mythical significance. The grand affair was a replication of a similarly lavish ball the Devonshires had hosted in the 1870s, which had left an indelible mark on London’s high society and had greatly pleased the Prince and Princess of Wales, the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

The Marlborough Set and Aristocratic Opulence

The Duke of Devonshire, a prominent Member of Parliament and a Liberal cabinet member, was part of the Marlborough Set, a circle of friends and aristocrats closely connected with the future Edward VII. This group was synonymous with lavish parties where extravagance knew no bounds—a lifestyle that the ball epitomized. The assembly of guests, including British royalty and notable figures from Europe and India, highlighted the ball’s status as a significant social event of the time.

The Guests and Their Costumes

The attendees’ costumes were a spectacle of historical re-enactment and artistic interpretation. Among the sea of elaborately dressed guests, some chose to embody historic royals, bringing to life figures such as Catherine the Great and Emperor Charles V. The British Royal Family itself participated with great enthusiasm, with members carefully selecting costumes that reflected their imperial heritage and the grandeur of the occasion.

Notably, the future King Haakon VII of Norway and his wife Maud, Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra of Russia, and Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha were among the international royalty that graced the event, each adding to the night’s splendor with their presence and meticulously chosen attire. From India, Prince Victor Duleep Singh’s attendance was a testament to the far-reaching allure of the Devonshire House Ball.

#1 Lady Alexandra Acheson strikes a pose in a hunting costume of the Louis XV period, when the French aristocracy also enjoyed dressing up.

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#2 Count Omar Hadik as his own ancestor Field Marshall Count Hadik, easily the least embarrassing male costume.

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#3 The Countess of Gosford as an 18th century version of Minerva, goddess of wisdom.

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#4 Lady Meysey Thompson as Elizabeth Queen of Bohemia the aunt of Charles II and wife of the Elector Frederick V, who has become a significant figure in esoteric history.

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#5 Lady Katharine Scott as Mary Queen of Scots, with the look of a martyred saint in a religious painting.

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#6 Lady Alice Montagu as Laure de Sade, an ancestor of the Marquis de Sade, and possibly the Laure who inspired the poet Petrarch in the 14th century.

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#7 The Countess of Mar as Beatrice Portinari the woman who inspired Dante.

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#8 Lady Southampton.

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#9 Instead of playing a muse Viscountess Milton opted for a creator, Marie Antoinette’s court painter Madame Le Brun.

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#10 Lady Gerard, describing herself as the Moon Goddess Astarte.

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#11 Lady Lurgan, surprisingly nonthreatening as Alecto, one of the Furies (“the implacable or unceasing anger”).

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#12 Mrs Ronalds as Euterpe the Muse of music – her costume has many clues to her identity.

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#13 On the musical front Wagner was still very popular in the 1890s so it is not surprising that there was a Brunhilde (Mrs Leslie).

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#14 Turning from northern European mythology to British legend and literature, here is a King Arthur out of Tennyson’s Idylls of the King played by Lord Rodney.

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#15 The ethereal beauty of Mrs J Graham Menzies in the role of Titania, Queen of the Fairies.

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#16 Miss Goelet.

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#17 The Duchess of Portland as the Duchess of Savoy.

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#18 The Duchess of Connaught as Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV.

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#19 Sir Edgar Vincent as a character from a painting by Franz Hals.

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#20 Lady Vincent came as a character from a Dutch painting.

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#21 The Ladies Churchill as Watteau shepherdesses.

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#22 Lady Margaret Villiers, either by coincidence or design is dressed as Monsieur’s wife Madame, Duchess d’Orleans (and sister of Charles II).

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#23 Mr Henry Holden is portraying Will Somers, the first Queen Elizabeth‘s court jester.

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#24 The Duchess of Devonshire dressed as Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra.

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#25 Lady Randolph Churchill (Sir Winston Churchill’s mother) as the Empress Theodora, wife of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian.

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#26 Lady Alexandra Colebrooke as Roxana, wife of Alexander the Great.

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#27 The Hon Mrs Algernon Bourke as Salammbo the princess of Carthage in Flaubert’s novel.

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#28 Princess Henry of Pless as Cleopatra.

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#29 Mrs Wolverton as Britannia.

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#30 Mrs Elizabeth James as the Archduchess Anne of Austria.

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#31 The Countess of Kilmorey Ellen Constance nee Baldock as Comtesse du Barri, the mistress of Louis XV.

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#32 The Emperor Napoleon and Josephine as played by Sir Charles and Lady Hartopp.

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#33 Lord Charles Montagu as Charles I, with Lady Chelsea as an Italian flower girl.

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#34 Mrs von Andre as Desdemona.

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#35 Valkyrie played by Mrs Reginald Talbot.

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#36 Lady Sophie Scott.

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#37 Mrs Baillie as Mrs James Baillie from a Gainsborough portrait.

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#38 The Countess of Dalkeith playing Helen.

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#39 Two sisters, the Ladies Margaret and Victoria Innes – Ker as two unrelated ladies out of miniatures by Cosway.

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#40 Mrs Maguire as Dido, Queen of Carthage anachronistically accompanied not by a man dressed as Aeneas but by a Major Wynne-Finch, whose role is not recorded.

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#41 Lady de Trafford as Semiramis Queen of Assyria.

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#42 Mr and Mrs Hall Walker as the magician Merlin and Vivian the Lady of the Lake who enchants him in some versions of the story.

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