Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
1889 Inaugural Ball Program |
Object Name |
Program |
Collection |
Inaugural Balls Collection |
Catalog Number |
1983.6.10 |
Description |
Folded and double-sided 1889 Inaugural Ball Program insert, honoring President Benjamin Harrison and Vice President Levi Morton. This insert is numbered pages 3 (list of names: Navy, Senators, Representatives), 4 (continued Reception Committee Representatives and Territorial Delegates), 13 (continued Order of Dancing #12-23), and 14 (Refreshments and Bill of Fare) |
Context |
This drawer showcases artifacts from the 1889 Inaugural Ball for President Benjamin Harrison and Levi Morton. This 1889 Ball was the first held at the completed Pension Building, although an earlier one held in 1885 for President Grover Cleveland required the installation of a temporary roof, as the building was still under construction at the time. These mementos reveal the ceremonial processions, the menu and refreshments available to guests, and the order of dances. At the time of the Pension Building's construction, inaugural balls were open to the public and held outdoors. At the time, there was no place in DC that could hold more than 600 people, so temporary pavilions were erected for each inaugural ball in Judiciary Square. In 1873, the ball for Ulysses S. Grant was held in a canvas and lath structure which cost $40,000 to build. Guests flocked to the hot chocolate instead of champagne, and the temporary heating system eventually failed, killing the decorative canaries. When it opened, the Pension Building had three important purposes: as a monument to Union Civil War veterans, a home for the Pension Bureau, and a kind of permanent venue for government events. |
Currently On Display In |
Visible Vault: Open Collections Storage |
Date |
1889 |
Maker |
Bailey Banks & Biddle |
Donor |
Myers, Denys Peter |
Dimensions |
H-3.25 W-8.25 inches |
Caption |
1983.6.10 Back |
Search Terms |
President Benjamin Harrison Vice President Levi Morton |