Masquerade: To Be Someone Else


Kate A. Farnham as 'Portrait of Marie de' Medici,' Portland, 1923

Kate A. Farnham as 'Portrait of Marie de' Medici,' Portland, 1923
Item 42398   info
Maine Historical Society

"Dressing up" can mean either wearing one's best clothing or disguising oneself.


Frederick Talbot as 'Portrait of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk,' 1923

Frederick Talbot as 'Portrait of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk,' 1923
Item 42399   info
Maine Historical Society

Masked balls, mummers' events, parades of horribles, Halloween, Mardi Gras and historical re-enactments are among the many opportunities for concealing one's identity or dressing as someone or something else.

Elbridge Stoneham as 'Portrait of Durer,' Portland, 1923

Elbridge Stoneham as 'Portrait of Durer,' Portland, 1923
Item 42420   info
Maine Historical Society

Part of the popularity of masquerade is the opportunity it provides for crossing boundaries like gender, class, or race.

Janet W. Hobbs as 'Young Lady in 1866,' Portland, 1923

Janet W. Hobbs as 'Young Lady in 1866,' Portland, 1923
Item 42428   info
Maine Historical Society

Masquerade also has long provided grist for novelists and filmmakers playing on mistaken identity.

Phyliss M. St. F. Thaxter as 'Miss Farren,' Portland, 1923

Phyliss M. St. F. Thaxter as 'Miss Farren,' Portland, 1923
Item 42429   info
Maine Historical Society

Often, though, costumes are less about obscuring identity than "trying on" clothing, styles, or persona of other cultures or eras.

Carolyn James as 'Portrait of the Artist by Herself,' 1923

Carolyn James as 'Portrait of the Artist by Herself,' 1923
Item 42430   info
Maine Historical Society

When First Parish Church in Portland performed an "Exhibition of Pictures" on Dec. 15, 1923, church members dressed as 29 different well-known paintings and posed inside a large gold frame.

Helen Barrows as 'Madonna and Child Enthroned,' Portland, 1923

Helen Barrows as 'Madonna and Child Enthroned,' Portland, 1923
Item 42431   info
Maine Historical Society

The masquerade was accompanied by Samuel S. Talbot providing information about painting from the early Italian era to modern American.

Frances L. Larrabee as 'Arrangement in Gray and Black,' 1923

Frances L. Larrabee as 'Arrangement in Gray and Black,' 1923
Item 42434   info
Maine Historical Society

Gertrude Buxton played the piano and Emily Eldridge played the violin for the lecture and painting performance.

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