Figure 1.-- This illustration of the Mansion House Children Cristmas ball appeared in a January 1899 issue pf 'The Graphic'. In fact it was a doiuble-page presentation--indicating how priminently it was presented. You can see the Lord Mayor attending at the right. Notice that by this time engravings were no longer needed and high quality illustrations could be printed. Click on the image to see the 1894 illustration from the 'London Illustrated News' identifying the children.

The most important is a children fancy dress ball at the Mansion House in London. This was an important revent for many years. It received considerable press attention. We cannot confirm that it was covered every year, but it clearly was covered many years. It was apparently celbrated as the Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve), marking the coming of the Epiphany. We see many writes ups (1880s-1900s). We are not sure about the ealier and later period. The Mansion House is the mayor's official residence. It is used for a variety of important functions. Notable speechs were made here every year--most poriominently by the channceloir of the exchequer commonly seen as the next in line to be prime-mimnister. [Boyle] The children's dress ball was dully reported in the Illustrasted London News, The Graphic, and oyher British publications annually with illustrtions of many costumes. There were some reports that showed the costumes, identifying the person depicted anf the child's name. As lihography progressed there were more life like depictions such as the 1899 illustrations here (figure 1). The caption to the 1901 ball read, "The children's fancy-dress ball, which is given yearly at the Mansion House on January 10, when great variety of costumes were seen, military ones being unuully pronounced, One little boy appeared as Lord Roberts in khaski, Nelson, Collingeood, and Wellingtonas represenative fighters of another day, were also seen." (Lord Robrts) was a dintiguised British Army commander who at the time was commnding British forces in Boer War. The press reporting commonly named the figure the costume respresented as well as the name of the child. which you can see by clicking on the image here.

Sources

Boyle, Timothy. "New light on Lloyd George's Mansion House speech," The Historical Journal Vol. 23, No. 2 (June 1960), pp. 431-33. The most famous Mansion House speech was delivered by David Lloyd Gerorge--Britain's second and World War I winning prime-minister. He warned of the growing danger of Imperial Germany to peace.

Created: 3:13 AM 3/7/2022
Last updated: 3:13 AM 3/7/2022