The Morning After: Seattle's Social Hangover
As the holiday season fades and Lent approaches, Seattle society retreats into a temporary lull following a whirlwind of dancing clubs, private dinners, and extravagant parties.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
After the sensational round of holiday festivities, a divided reaction has set in, and society is almost in a state of torpor. Outside of a few informal gatherings, but little of note has happened. A pleasant break in the monotony of the past week was the dancing party given by Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Lowman. The relapse is but temporary, and the time from now until Lent remains full of promise to the devotees of pleasure. Already, invitations are out for a number of events to occur soon.
On last Thursday evening, Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Lowman tendered a dancing party to their friends at their elegant new residence at Eleventh and Marion streets. The spacious rooms of the first floor were opened into one and, with the polished floors, made an excellent dancing floor. The guests included Mr. and Mrs. Shepard, Mr. and Mrs. Washburn, Mr. and Mrs. Hardin, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Nevins, Mr. and Mrs. Whittlesey, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kittinger, among many others.
“The time from now until Lent remains full of promise to the devotees of pleasure.”
This 1891 chronicle of Seattle’s high society captures a world of 'elegant new residences' and exclusive clubs—a stark reminder of how Seattle’s social stratification and obsession with property prestige have roots running deep into the city's early development. Today’s luxury real estate marketing echoes the same exclusionary promise of status once tied to the 'spacious rooms' of the Lowman estate.
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