Gilded Age Tastemaker Displeased

The Southern drawl voiced, velvety smooth talking tastemaker to The 400 in New York City of the Gilded Age, Ward McAllister (brilliantly played by a restrained Nathan Lane) was knocked from his lofty perch by 1889. He was not happy about this fall from the unofficial governing board of the highest level of the social etiquette strata.
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Regarding a ball he was NOT asked to oversee, an angry McAllister reveled in the aftermath: “Even the humble reporter admits to share his enjoyment, and to them paints he the ball in the gloomiest possible colors. Doubtless the ball had its drawbacks, but still it was not quite the orgy that in his scorn he not unaccountably chooses to make it. Doubtless the throng was dense and the supper room much over crowded, and there was excess of wine, both honey-hearted and très sec. Doubtless there is an objection to launching young girls in society, even as ships are sped from the well-greased ways to the water, with the breaking over their bows of foaming bottles of champagne. Doubtless when three thousand men demand all their hats at one moment of three sable and sleepy attendants there must be confusion.”

The Wrath of McAllister

Musing yet once more the destructive wrath of McAllister, not yet appeased nor in the least likely to be so till the committee in general, and Stuyvesant Fish in particular, are covered over with shame and sent into permanent Coventry. Truly revenge is sweet even to leaders of germans, howbeit for that function the much disgusted McAllister now may seem to himself somewhat too old and rheumatic. Nathless, when he departed to sulk in his tent at the capital, he did not wholly forsake the sacred cause of society. Still his address might be had and still he might have been sent for when the intrusive committee had got things into a tangle. Doubtless a swell deputation from Stuyvesant Hamiltonides, calling him back to retrieve the results of presumptuous rashness, would have been kindly received and its message considered with patience. Even the swift-footed telegram might have brought back to the rescue (if properly winged and prepaid by the patient but few-counseled Bowen) him who alone could bring some order out of the chaos.

But the besotted committee did not do any of these things, and the lost leader comes back to amuse himself over their downfall. Even the humble reporter admits to share his enjoyment, and to them paints he the ball in the gloomiest possible colors. Doubtless the ball had its drawbacks, but still it was not quite the orgy that in his scorn he not unaccountably chooses to make it. Doubtless the throng was dense and the supper room much over crowded, and there was excess of wine, both honey-hearted and très sec. Doubtless there is an objection to launching young girls in society, even as ships are sped from the well-greased ways to the water, with the breaking over their bows of foaming bottles of champagne. Doubtless when three thousand men demand all their hats at one moment of three sable and sleepy attendants there must be confusion. If to his plans it is that we owe the success of the banquet, why were his plans for the ball not equally wise and foresighted ? 

While he was losing his rest for the sake of taking sweet counsel with learned and eminent cooks concerning suitable dishes, having especial regard to comparative quickness of service, why did he not put on record his views on the care of the cloak room? If he did so, it is but too plain that a fearful responsibility rests on the rash and wretched committee. Still it is hard to believe that a mind absorbed, like the mind of McAllister, with the abstruser points of deep gastronomical problems could at the same time find room for the consideration of hat checks. As to the famous quadrille, his view is doubtless the right one. When the officials declined the committee should have selected statesmen and sages and bards and men of weight and distinction. Personages like these might have felt very awkward and looked so, but the quadrille would have been much more impressive in history danced by a number of wretched and eminent fish out of water than if en joyed by a number of dapper and well-greaved New-Yorkers.

Now that Peleides has left his tent and come forth to take part in the battle, he engages to give us a ball that will shame the committee. Doubtless the scheme he has formed will result in something more pleasant than the crush that afflicts him still, though it happened last Monday. He may not be able to handle with ease the promiscuous nation, but to cull and arrange the flower of New-York in a ballroom is a part he is fitted to shine in by art and by nature. This fitness it is that makes us renew the suggestion of a place and a title to suit a society leader. The place is St.Thomas's Church, and the title of sexton. though humble, has been borne and exalted by Brown to the McAllisterian function. A sexton has charge of funerals and weddings as well as of balls and of banquets. As a sexton McAllister’s sphere would be widened as well as exalted, with power of revenge on committees and on Stuyvesant Hamiltonides. _The New York Times, May 4, 1899

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

The Only 400 According to McAllister

“It is incomplete and does injustice, you understand, to many eligible millionaires. Think of leaving out such names (from the official 400 list), don’t you know, as … Mr. and Mrs. Luther Kountze… and many others! Don't you understand, it is absurd, senseless.” According to Ward McAllister. Yet he himself did, when Mr. and Mrs. Luther Kountze were left off of his own list. 
Public domain image of Gilded age banker, Luther Kountze

THE ONLY FOUR HUNDRED

Ward Mc Allister Gives Out the Official List

 Here are the Names, Don’t You Know, on the Authority of Their Great Leader, You Understand, and Therefore Genuine, You See.

“The so-called Four Hundred has not been cut down or dwindled to 150 names,” said Ward McAllister yesterday. “The nonsense, don't you know, printed to that effect in the World and some other papers, has made a very had impression that will reflect badly against them, you understand. That list of names, you understand, printed on Sunday, did not come from me, don't you see. It is unauthorized, don't you know. But it is accurate as far as it goes, you understand.

“It is incomplete and does injustice, you understand, to many eligible millionaires. Think of leaving out such names, don't you know, as Chauncey M. Depew, Gen. Alexander S. Webb, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cooper, Mr. and Mrs. Luther Kountze, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Goelet, Mrs. and Miss Wilson, Miss Greene, and many others! Don't you understand, it is absurd, senseless.

“Let me explain, don't you know. There are three dinner dances, don't you know, during the season, and the invitations, don't you see, are issued to different ladies and gentle men each time, do you understand? So at each dinner dance, you know, are only 150 people of the highest set, don't you know. So. during the season, you see, 400 different invitations are issued.

“Wait a moment and I will give you a correct list, don't you know, of the people who form what is known as the Four Hundred. Do you understand it will be authorized, reliable, and, don't you know, the only correct list.” The society leader then gave the following list of names, which, he declared, constitutes the beau monde of New York to-day:

1. Mr. and Mrs. F. R. Appleton
2. Fred H. Allen
3. Mr. and Mrs. Ástor
4. Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Astor 
5. Mr. and Mrs. George H. Bend
6. Miss Amy Bend
7. Miss Beatrice Bend, 
8. Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Bryce
9. Mrs. Cavendish Bentinok 
10. Mr. and Mrs. F. Bronson
11. Heber Bishop
12. Miss Bishop
13. William Harold Brown
14. Mr. and Mrs. Edmund N. Baylies
15. Mr. Temple Bowdoin 
16. Mr. and Mrs. J. Townsend Burden
17. Miss Burden
18. Mrs. Barbey
19. Miss Barbey
20. Harold Brown
21. Edward Bulkley
22. Mr. and Mrs. James L. Barclay
23. C. C. Baldwin
24. Miss Baldwin 
25. C. C. Baldwin, Jr.
26. Gen. and Mrs. Henry L. Burnett
27. Mr. Thomas Cushing
28. Miss Edith Cashing
29. Mr. F. Bayard Cutting
30. Miss Coster
31. Mr. Harry Coster
32. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carroll
33. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Cary 
34. Mr. and Mrs. Winthrop Chandler
35. Mrs Brockholst Cutting. 
36. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Cannon
37. Robert L. Cutting, Jr. 
38. Col. J. Schuyler Crosby
39. Miss Crosby
40. Mr. and Mrs. W. Bayard Cutting,
41. Mr. and Mrs. S. V. R. Cruger
42. Rawlings Cottenet
43. F. Brockholst Cutting
44. W. Cutting, Jr.
45. Sir Roderick Cameron
46. Duncan Cameron
47. The Misses Cameron
48. Mr. and Mrs. James Cross
49. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cooper
50. The Misses Chanler
51. William P. Coster
52. Mr. and Mrs. Elisha Dyer, II
53. Mr and Mrs. Duncan Elliott
54. Mr. and Mrs George B. De Forest
55. Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey M. Depew
56. Mr. and Mrs. Frederic de Peyster
57. Dr. and Mrs. Francis Delafield
58. Miss Delafield
59. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Dana
60. H. De Courcy Forbes
61. Mr. and Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish
62. Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Francklyn
63. J. C. Furman, 
64. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton Fish, Jr.
65. Theodore Frelinghuysen
66. Augustus C. Gurnee 
67. Mr. and Mrs. Ogden Goelet
68. Mr. Frank G. Griswold
69. Miss Greene
70. McAllister Greene
71. Miss Grant 
72. Robert F. Hawkers 
73. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Howard
74. Mr. and Mrs. Carly Havemeyer
75. Meredith Howland
76. Mr. and Mrs. Valentine
77. G. Hall
78. Miss Hall
79. Joha A. Hadden, Jr. 
80. Mr. and Mrs. Columbus Iselin
81. Isaac Iselin
82. Mrs. William Jaffray
83. Miss Jaffray
84. Mrs. F. R. Jones
85. Miss Beatrix Jones
86. Shipley Jones
87. Mr. and Mrs. De Lancey Kane
88. Nicholson Kane
89. Miss Knowlton
90. Miss Sybel Kane
91. Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Kernochan
92. Col and Mrs. Kip
93. Miss Kipp
94. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Kernochan
95. Clement March
96. Mr. and Mrs. O. Mills
97. Mr. and Mrs. B. Martin
98. F. T. Martin 
99. Peter Mario
100. Mr. and Mrs. H. W. McVickar
101. Mr. and Mrs. A.N. Morris
102. Miss Morris
103. Mr. and Mrs. R. Mortimer
104. Miss Morgan
105. Mr. and Mrs. T. Newbold
106. Mrs. Frederick Nelson
107. S. H. Olin
108. Mr. and Mrs. O. Oelrichs
109. James Otis
110. Miss Otis
111. Edward Post
112. Richard Peters 
113. Mr. and Mrs. B. C. Porter
114. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Pendleton
115. Julian Potter
116. L.V. Packer
117. Mr. and Mrs. H.N. Potter
118. Gen. and Mrs. Pierson
119. Miss Pierson
120. Mr. and Mrs. George B. Post
121. Mrs. William H. Perry
122. Miss Perry 
123. Gould H. Redmond
124. Mrs. Rogers
125. Miss Rogers
126. J. Ritchie
127. T. J. Oakley Rhinelander
128. Miss Cora Randolph
129. Mrs. Burke Roche
130. Mr. and Mrs. S. O. Ripley
131. D. T. L. Robinson
132. R. K. Richards
133. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Robinson 
134. Jr. Mr. and Mrs. H. Robins
135. Miss Sands
136. Mr. and Mrs. Willlam D.Sloane
137. Mr. and Mrs. Philip Schuyler
138. Mr. and Mrs. Byam K. Stevens
139. Lispenard Stewart 
140. Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Sherman
141. Miss Adele Sloane
142. Mr. and Mrs. Anson Phelps Stokes
143. Miss Stokes,
144. Mr. and Mrs. Walter L. Suydam
145. Mr. and Mrs. F. K. Sturgis
146. Miss Elizabeth Stevens
147. G. Mead Tooker
148. Miss Tooker 
149. E. N. Tailer
150. Mr. and Mrs. H. McKay Twombly
151. Miss Taller
152. Marquise de Talleyrand
153. Miss Mable Van Rensselaer
154. Miss Alice Van Rensselaer
155. Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt 
156. George W. Vanderbilt
157. Mrs. A. Van Rensselaer
158. James Varnum
159. Mr. Worthinglon Whitehouse
160. Mr. and Mrs. W. Seward Webb
161. Barton Willing 
162. Miss Willing
163. Gov. and Mrs.Wetmore
164. Miss Wetmore
165. Egerton Winthrop
166. Thomas C. Winthrop
167. F. B. Winthrop
168. Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan Winthrop.
169. Miss Winthrop
170. Mr. and Mrs. Ben. Wells
171. Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Whitney
172. Miss Georgiana L. Wilinerding
173. Mrs. C. A. Whittier
174. Mr. and Mrs. Wysong
175. M.A. Wilkes
176. Mr. and Mrs. W. Storrs Wells 
177. Gen. and Mrs. Alexander S. Webb
178. Miss Carrie Webb
179. Alexander S. Webb
180. Miss Luck
181. Arthur Leary
182. Mrs. Maturin Livingston
183. Mr. and Mrs. James Lanier
184. Mr. and Mrs. Henry B. Livingston
185. Edward Livingston
186. Miss Clarissa Livingston
187. Edward De Peyster Livingston
188. Mr. and Mrs. Clement C. Moore
189. Ward McAllister
190. Mr. and Mrs. Charles N. Marshall

“Now,” concluded Mr. McAllister, “that is all, don’t you know. Good morning.” — The New York Times, February 16,1892

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

A Social Arbiter Loses Lofty Perch

“The first object to be aimed at is to make your dinners so charming and agreeable, the invitations to them are eagerly sought for, and to let all feel that it is a great privilege to dine at your house, where they are sure there will be only those whom they wish to meet. You cannot instruct people buy a book on how to entertain, though Aristotle is said to have applied his talents to a compilation of a code of laws for the table. Success in entertaining is accomplished by magnetism and tact, which combined constitute social genius. It is the ladder to social success. If successfully done, it naturally creates jealousy.” — Menu and quote from Ward McAllister, in his book, “Society as I Have Found It”

First Talk of Deposing the 400’s Ward McAllister from His Societal Dictatorship 

Ward McAllister's venture into the ranks of the great public to take a hand in the management of the centennial ball is likely to be attended with disastrous results to him as a social leader. When Mr. McAllister awoke to the fact that he was not the entire committee— merely a member of it—it astonished him.
To have his dictates questioned in social affairs was a new, novel, and rather unpleasant experience. That the world should continue to move after his deposition from the absolute dictatorship was a surprise indeed. But the world does move, and the motion doesn’t suit ward McAllister.


The trouble is that the deposition from leadership in centennial affairs isn’t all that is liable to be the outcome of the sudden and startling discovery that the social world can wag without the assistance of Mr. McAllister. The latter factor struck the society leaders, or those who would be such, with peculiar force. At the clubs it has created as much of a sensation as did the recent cable bulletin to the effect that the Prince of Wales had appeared in public without gloves. 

It has led to more animated discussion in the Union and Knickerbocker Clubs than has any subject since the announcement that trousers were to be one and one-half inches narrower in the vicinity of the knees, than they were last season. The matter was started at the Union Club, when a member, who is also a Patriarch, is said, after an hour’s deep thought, to have created almost a panic by the inquiry: “I say there, would it be possible to give a Patriarch’s Ball and have it managed by a committee instead of Mr. Ward McAllister, doncher know?”


The question alone seemed like the starting of a social rebellion. A revolution it would be, at least. The news that the question had been to asked spread to the Brunswick and thence to the Knickerbocker with cyclonic speed and before the members of the Union had fairly recovered from its effects, it was the only question of any moment discussed or even thought of. Social circles caught it up, and now the ladies talk of it with bated breath between discussions cut painfully short about the hitherto all important questions, as to how to trim hats or whether costumes shall tend toward the Directoire or Empire style.

Society is deeply agitated about the matter. The Knickerbocker Club has already decided against Mr. McAllister. The Union Club is very evenly divided just now, with a tendency committee word, though the official action of the governing committee had not been bullet and up to midnight last night. The general belief, however, is that the next assembly of the patriarchs will be under the management of a committee instead of under a dictatorship. Social lights fear that the result may be disastrous, but the male element in the much talked of 400 seem determined, because Mr. McAllister has actually brought them into scorn and ridicule by his failure to retain his dictatorship and thus their prestige. — The New York Times April 1889

🍽️Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber of The RSVP Institute of Etiquette, is the Site Editor of the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Another Gilded Age Social Arbiter Rises

 

We at Etiquipedia are looking to find some other documentation for a Gilded Age Los Angeles “400” but have had no success to date. We are convinced many cities of the era emulated the New York’s society circle of “400,” —actually only 319 names were on the famous list—  but this is the first time we’ve seen a rival to Ward McAllister’s lofty, self-proclaimed perch, be presented or suggested in a news report.
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“Four hundred might be one of the only numbers that has a place in the dictionary. Its definition reads: ‘The social elite of a community.’ But it wasn’t until the late 1800s that ‘400’ had any real value. Before The Real Housewives of NYC, Mrs. Caroline Schermerhorn Astor dominated Gilded Age New York society, throwing the balls that everyone who was anyone attended. The problem was that her ballroom only held 400 people, and thanks to the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution, there were now many more than 400 high society millionaires in New York City. So she had to narrow down the list of invitees to the absolute most important and elite New Yorkers. She enlisted self-proclaimed society expert Ward McAllister to help her whittle down the numbers, and The Four Hundred was born. Those who made the cut included Roosevelts and Winthrops, among other famously fancy last name.” — Du Jour.com 

The Los Angeles “400” is Impressed!

The promotion of Lieutenant John A. Dapray to the position of paymaster in the army with the rank of major and the salary of $4800. per annum is greeted by the Los Angeles “400” with enthusiastic empressement. Perhaps there is no officer in the army who has won more laurels in leading a german victoriously across the deadly floor or in heading the grand march of a ballroom in its bold reconnoissance at the opening festivities of a soirée dansante. When he was here on the staff of General Miles, he was distinguished as a master of society etiquette, and by his exquisite conventionality in dress and his coolness and bravery in charging the social sideboard or the festive table, he was the cynosure of all eyes. 

He has passed the rubicons of several winters in Washington, and society there has acclaimed him as the conquering hero of its routs and social functions. It is not too much to say recognition of the young lieutenant's transcending merits by promotion to a height which in actual field service on the frontier of forty years rarely attains, will elevate him to the position of a dangerous rival to Ward McAllister. He wears an overcoat all bedizened with frogs and bullion, and that's something in his favor. — Los Angeles Herald, 1893

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia