Within the skating rink, the popularity of skating and costuming
skating masquerades were true spectacles and highlights of the social calendar. Governor-General, attended a skating masquerade on January 14, 1865. She wrote, “When we arrived I was struck with the very pretty ornaments; there were tables for refreshments on the ice, and the 25th Recounting his experience at an 1864 Montreal masquerade, a Brit-
crush at the door in the earlier part of the evening was very consid- erable. Once inside, however, the animated spectacle presented to the visitor fully repaid the inconvenience momentarily sustained by a good squeeze. “The interior of the rink was brilliantly lighted and decorated
a raised platform, was stationed the band of the Royal Artillery, and Guards, which performed alternately with their well-known skill and - ing masqueraders in every variety of fancy costume, among the most striking of which we must notice several very well got-up red Indians in real costume, who looked as if they could make the building echo with a war whoop. “A knight in armor also made very splendid appearance; nor must
we forget Old Santa Claus, who swept along, surrounded by a band Contrabands, Zouaves, Corsairs, Jockeys, Carters, Habitants, Sailors, Turks, and Greeks. - poleon Bonaparte, and Robinson Crusoe conversing with Sam Slick. There was also an elegant genus of red devils, with blue wings, who found innocent pleasure in pursuing unfortunate contrabands,
till
they were supposed to take refuge in the infernal regions. The female characters were not so numerous as the masculine ones. We however noticed a Highland Herd Lassie, a Russian Lady, several Black Nuns, and a Bohemian Peasant. “The rink was densely crowded with spectators, of whom it is com- In days following the skating balls, it was not uncommon for mas- queraders to wear their costumes and their skates in a photographer’s studio. Portrait photography was a burgeoning new art. Montreal pho- tographer William Notman’s studio’s most famous composite photo- graph shows 150 costumed skaters at the fancy dress skating carnival on March 1, 1870. Held in honor of Prince Arthur, the event’s photo illustrates the importance of the masquerades both to society’s elite and showcased new technologies of the time. As the skating balls evolved and competed for social traction, even rink decorators were worth mentioning. As an example, for the Janu- ary 4, 1899, masquerade, the Montreal Gazette wrote, “Elaborate prepa-
rations are being made…and the decorations will be furnished and set By the turn of the century, the interest and the importance of the
skating masquerades had waned. As attention to hockey grew, ice rinks evolved from venues of participating to ones of spectating. People con- in the bleachers, rather than on the ice. It is a legacy that continues today, but perhaps we will one day come full-circle, and our patrons around our ice palaces. FM
Columbia, Canada.
DID YOU KNOW?
In the 1840’s, a London, England, skating rink called the Alpine Room featured “ice” concocted out of soda and hog’s grease laid over a bare wooden floor. Skaters wore ice skates and skated through the mixture with a sensation of slicing through hard cheese. “Face plants” were a definite hazard of the activity!
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