Archives West Finding Aid

Partial typescript transcript of an article by Frona Eunice Wait that was published in the Sunday Oregonian newspaper on May 25, 1890. The original article was published under the headline "Where Beauty Reigns: Mrs. Smith's Ball at The Portland a Fine Display." It describes the first ball, put on by a woman identified as Mrs. Walter V. Smith, at the recently opened Portland Hotel in Portland, Oregon. The transcript itself is undated, and does not include the name of the transcriber or the date or source of the transcribed material, but does include Wait's byline. It omits some portions of the article and includes misspellings and places where words have been struck out. The transcript and source article describe the decorations at the ball; scenes of conversation and dancing; and the gowns worn by a number of the women who attended. Both the transcript and source article also provide a list of notable people in attendance among the 250 guests at the ball, though the list in the transcript does not include all the names in the source article.