Photograph of Mrs. Alva E. Vanderbilt as a Venetian princess

26 March 1883

Photograph from the 1883 Vanderbilt Fancy Dress Ball album, taken by Jose Maria Mora (Cuban, c. 1847-1926), depicting Mrs. Alva E. Vanderbilt, wife of William K. Vanderbilt, as a Venetian princess. A contemporary account from the New York Tribune described her costume: "Mrs. Vanderbilt appeared as a Venetian princess taken from a picture by Cabanel. The underskirt was of white and yellow brocade, shading from the deepest orange to the lightest canary […] The waist was of blue satin covered with gold embroidery [...] the sleeves were of transparent gold tissue. She wore a Venetian cap, covered with magnificent jewels, the most noticeable of these being a superb peacock in many colored gems. "

American

photographic print

Bequest of Harold S. Vanderbilt

PSNCA.H.018.37