Gilded Finale: The Bradley Martin Ball and the End of the Gilded Age

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...