Truman Capote's Black & White Ball 50th anniversary
Today marks the 50th anniversary of American novelist Truman Capote’s greatest social triumph, the Black & White Ball. Internationally regarded as “the party of the 20th century,” Capote’s 1966 masquerade, held at New York City’s Plaza Hotel, is still regularly referenced in fashion and culture as the height of societal glamour. The meticulously planned ball centered around Capote’s upper-crust inner circle of beautiful muses — Babe Paley, Slim Keith, Lee Radziwill, C. Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness, Marella Agnelli — whom he called his “swans.”
From manuscripts and correspondence to photographs, artwork, sound recordings and other miscellany, the New York Public Library is home to the largest collection dedicated to Capote’s life and work. The library’s Capote Collection includes memorabilia from the everlasting evening 50 years ago — his handwritten guest list, a rough draft of the invitation that was sent to the stationer, official admittance cards — and is currently on view in the library’s first floor Astor Hall. (Town and Country)
See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Tumblr.
