A woman dancing with her petticoats showing raises a stein of beer. The poster drawing was done by American artist Harry McVickar in 1896 to commemorate the One of the 1001 Nights costume party held by host “Jimmie” Breese at his Carbon Studio atelier and townhouse at 5 West 16th St. in New York City on December 17, 1896.

A founder of Vogue magazine in 1892, (and its’ first art director) McVickar and wife Maud Robbins, a socialite and painter, were Gilded Age members of The Four Hundred.

Harry Whitney McVickar (September 2, 1860 – July 4, 1905) was an American artist, illustrator, and real estate investor who was prominent member of New York society during the Gilded Age. Career: McVickar started his career as an artist and illustrator, with his work appearing in Life and Harper’s Bazaar, and is considered one of the founders of Vogue, which was then a weekly newspaper. He illustrated several books, including Daisy Miller and Mr. Bonaparte of Corsica (1895), and The Evolution of Woman (1896), published by Harper and Brothers. Society life: In 1892, McVickar and his wife were both included in Ward McAllister‘s “Four Hundred“, purported to be an index of New York’s best families, published in The New York Times. Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor’s ballroom. Harry was a member of the Century Association and the Lambs Club. Wikipedia (2025) continues… 

One of perhaps only 50-70 copies produced, with almost all believed to be either lost or destroyed, this rare mammoth album of original carbon photographs, including of artwork produced by notable artists and an original multi-color lithograph, was compiled by amateur photographer James Lawrence Breese in early 1897. An important and historical photographic and artistic record of America’s Gilded Age, it was produced as a lavish “souvenir” album of a gathering of 70 invitees of the New York City elite, including members of The Four Hundred. The occasion was a costume party at the photographer’s “Carbon Studio” and townhouse at midnight on December 17, 1896.

The album contains ten carbon prints, laid down on oversized cards and individually matted, all with Breese’s “The Carbon Studio” blindstamp, and an original lithograph of  the party’s “menu” printed in colors by American artist Robert Lewis Reid. (1862-1929)