Ulysses Grant's Inaugural Ball
This illustration was published in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, a successful weekly publication that combined pictures and news. All magazine illustrations originated in artists' sketches, and Leslie's system employed a team of engravers to convert the sketches, enabling him to publish pictures only a week after an event took place. This speed was unheard of in journalism in the mid 19th-century. On March 20, 1869, President Grant held his first inaugural ball in the Cash Room of the north wing of the Treasury Department, which barely accommodated the large crowd attending the event. In an attempt to ease overcrowding at his second inaugural ball, a temporary structure was erected on Judiciary Square. Though large enough to accommodate the crowds, no provisions were made for heating, and women spent the evening wearing their wraps while men kept on their coats and hats. The Cash Room, shown here has been restored to exactly this appearance.
- Artist
- Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper
- Date of Work
- March 20, 1869
- Medium
- Print of wood carving
- Credit
- Library of Congress
