Fancy Dress Balls: All Dressed Up and Somewhere to Go

http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/keys/webtours/tourID/VQ_P2_9_EN
"Fancy Dress Balls: All Dressed Up and Somewhere to Go"
Cynthia Cooper, McCord Museum

In the 19th century, costumed skating carnivals and balls were very popular social activities. The sheer number of archival photographs of people in fancy dress attests to the popularity of this phenomenon, as well as its importance to those who took part. While the basic appeal of fancy dress lay in its semblance of permissiveness and escapism, this sort of amusement was controlled by a complex set of moral restrictions.

Aussi disponible en français: http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/fr/clefs/circuits/tourID/VQ_P2_9_FR

© McCord Museum, 2003

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Education

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• McCord
• History
• Canada