On masked balls

(One might deduce that the "national character" of late nineteenth-century England is a little too straitlaced for the presumed dissipation that occurs when the dancers are masked...)

A masked ball is rarely given in England. One or two were given during the existence of the New Club, and it is possible that they will come into favour again, but it is a question whether the national character adapts itself readily to this description of entertainment.

The ladies at a bal masqué wear little black velvet masks on the upper part of their faces, and a domino covers the ball-dress. This domino may be of a plain black silk lined with colour, or may take the form of a very elaborate tea-gown. Both masks and dominoes are usually doffed at the announcement of supper, and the brilliant toilettes and sparkling jewels of the ladies shine out all the brighter for their temporary effacement.

Source: Armstrong, Lucie.  The Ball-Room Guide.  London and New York: Frederick Warne & Co., c1880s.