Dance Card, Twelfth Night, 1911

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1911 Dance Card

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This dance card was produced for the Children’s Fancy Dress Ball held on Twelfth Night, 6 January 1911.

Generally, a dance card would have been used by a woman to list the names of her dancing partners.

The Mayor and Mayoress, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Thomas-Stanford presided over the proceedings that night in the Royal Pavilion. The children were taken into the King’s Drawing Room and from there were led by Father Christmas into the Banqueting Hall to be met by the Mayor.

They were entertained by a Punch & Judy show in the Music Room and musical chairs in the saloon, while dancing took place in the Banqueting Room.

The Brighton Herald and Brighton Season covered the event in great detail. Several well known Brighton families were represented, including the Vokin sisters, whose family had a large department store in North Street.

The newspaper described the scenes as ‘Maid Marion jostled with a Christmas Bon Bon’, (played to great effect by Vera Mogridge). Bertie Buckwell, as the Knave of Hearts, came with ‘fanciful but uneatable tarts’ and Gladys Rusbridge, dressed as a representation of Brighton Tramways Corporation, came in a costume covered with over two thousand tram tickets.

One of the children attending was seven-year-old Vera Garbutt. She was dressed as a witch in a scarlet dress, black conical hat and a cat on her shoulder. Only nine years later, Vera would establish the Vera Garbutt School of Dancing.

For more about Vera Garbutt, see Personality of the Month – January 2011.

Paul Jordan, Senior History Centre Officer