A ball at the Mansion House: 1872

An illustration from 'London: a Pilgrimage' by Blanchard Jerrold and Gustave Doré, 1872. Jerrold notes that 'A recent writer on the season, tells us that balls are on the decline, because only very young men - and, I presume, not very advantageous ones, matrimonially considered, - can be got to stand up'. Instead 'a garden party is the latest thing in opportunities for breaking fresh ground'.

The Mansion House is the working home of the Lord Mayor of the City of London and is still in use for banquets, entertainments and other events.