Mr. Lincoln's Inaugural Ball

Yesterday was quite a day! I was invited to the inaugural ball for Mr. Abraham Lincoln, held on the portico of the White House at the new Land of Lincoln sim. Well, OK, everyone was invited, but I went. ;-)

I worked all day on a new gown for the occasion. Here it is. It's a full-length, pure white satin gown. The brocade and lace bodice is covered with a delicate pattern of gold leaves and bordered with a band of gold satin. For something as formal as a presidential inaugural, I had to wear white gloves, of course.

I expected a lot of lag at the ball, so I made sure to design the skirt on this dress so that it wouldn't be hard to control. Many prim skirts get carried away by the wind, or swirl into a tangle when you start to dance, but not this one.

Isn't it lovely?

The ball was underway precisely at 7 p.m. Quite a crowd had already arrived by the time I got there ten minutes later, and the dancing had started.

The White House is a fairly faithful reproduction of the RL original, and it is white. I spent some time wandering inside, because I have never taken the tour of the real White House. It's really nicely done, though sparsely furnished so far.

The other ladies wore elegant period gowns -- very colorful and nicely textured. It was quite a spectacle watching everyone on the dance floor. The gentlemen were nicely dressed too, of course. Many wore long frock coats that made them look very distinguished.

The organizing committee for the ball had thoughtfully arranged to have a professional photographer present so that we could each have a daguerrotype taken with Mr. Lincoln. That's the camera in the background. Many of the guests took advantage of the opportunity, but I decided that it would be more fun to dance with Mr. Lincoln and take my own pictures.

And there we are! You can tell it's him because of the beard and the hat. ;-) He's a good dancer, or at least he chose nimbly-scripted poseballs for our dance. It was a waltz, played by a small string ensemble. Mr. Lincoln doesn't smile much, I'm afraid, but he is gracious and a good conversationalist. I enjoyed dancing with him, and I got some good photos too.

I danced with other gentlemen too, of course, including this handsome Australian. What would be the fun of going to a ball at the White House and not dancing as much as you could?

I never did dance with that Confederate officer, however, even though he did look dashing in uniform. (I wonder how he got in past security?)

So that was my evening at Mr. Lincoln's inaugural ball. It was glorious! And it was all over by 9 p.m., and I went home to bed.

I was thinking of donating this gown to the Smithsonian collection, but I decided that they already have enough gowns. Instead, I have put it in my shop on Elysian Isle. If you are invited to someplace formal and need the perfect dress, just look for "Gold Leaves."