Masquerade

Louis Ramus [at the Masquerade Ball], 1917, V1978.174.30, Ramus family papers and photographs, 1978.174; Brooklyn Historical Society.

The photo of the week depicts Louis Ramus dressed for the annual Masquerade Ball at Brooklyn Turn Verein Hall on March 5, 1917 in the Boerum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. I think this photograph is particularly charming because of Ramus’s festive clothing and proud stance for the photographer.

Turn Verein halls originated in Germany, and expanded to the United States in communities with large German populations. In Brooklyn, Turn Verein halls were community, education, and cultural centers seeking to preserve and celebrate German traditions and celebrations. There were at least five Turn Verein chapters in Brooklyn, with nearly every one hosting an annual Masquarade Ball. A Brooklyn Daily Eagle article in 1890 described one such ball as a festive event: “The hall was elaborately decorated for the occasion with flags and bunting in various designs and by masqueraders in costumes ranging chronologically from the time of George Washington, pater patriae, to that of the excellent and well beloved Dr. Mary Walker, and in variety—well, no matter about that—it suffices to say that one of the 500 masqueraders present hardly two were costumed alike. The members and friends of the Turn Verein were out for a good time and they brought their sweethearts and friends and wives and daughters with them.”

This photograph is from the Ramus family papers and photographs collection. Louis Ramus (pictured) was the son of Isaac Ramus and Esther Baruth, who immigrated from London and settled at 214 Dean Street in Brooklyn. Isaac Ramus was a retail dealer in hosiery and undergarments with a store on Canal Street in Manhattan. This collection contains documents, ephemera, and photographs pertaining to the members of the Ramus family. To see more photographs from this collection, check out this gallery.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing even more historic Brooklyn images? Visit our Brooklyn Visual Heritage website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Sat, 1:00-5:00 p.m. library@brooklynhistory.org