This postcard shows the ball room in the mansion of Mrs. William Astor, located at 841 Fifth Avenue in New York City. Designed by Richard Morris Hunt and completed in 1896, it formed one half of a double house, the other half being occupied by her son, John Jacob Astor IV (who died on the Titanic). Caroline (Schermerhorn) Astor (1830-1908) was the leader of New York society in the late 19th century, and is a featured character in The Gilded Age on HBO.
The 1903 postcard was part of “Series B: Fashionable New York” that was inserted into The Chicago Sunday American, published by William Randolph Hearst.
To see more colorized images of Mrs. Astor’s mansion, click here to watch a YouTube video produced by our friends at This House.