Power & Pleasure

At the zenith of its power, Britain, the ‘Workshop of the World’, dominated the globe with military might and commercial acuity. The celebration of Queen Victoria’s sixty years on the throne was carefully positioned to highlight the country’s strength, especially in the face of rising competition from other nations. The festivities brought together, in a show of force, the Queen’s widely extended family, foreign dignitaries, diplomats, foreign royals and world leaders. Extraordinary pageantry, parades and royal receptions served to dramatise the unparalleled significance of the event. The most important occasion, however, was the Devonshire House Ball, given at huge expense by the Hanover-born German ‘Double Duchess’ of Devonshire. The Duchess – having married not one but two English Dukes – took to the task with alacrity, bringing together an extraordinary group of nobles, politicians, plutocrats, influential foreigners and bankers, hosting the most famous party of the century: a fancy-dress ball with a guest list of the 700 social, political, cultural and prominent ‘celebrities’ of the day. A specially commissioned tent – equipped with hand-painted backdrops, the most technically advanced cameras and lighting, along with realistic props – was set up in the magnificent gardens to capture the glamorous guests. Many of the exquisite costumes – all of pre-eighteenth-century characters – were preserved by photograph and are shown here, colourised for the first time, to give us a sense of the wondrous, glorious occasion of the Ball.

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