When Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt (1845–1934) appeared in the Electric Light Dress, commissioned from the House of Worth for her family’s legendary 1883 fancy-dress ball, she not only displayed her wealth but also signaled her modernity. While members of more established families came in historical costumes that confirmed their status by drawing comparisons with European aristocracy, Vanderbilt, whose family often had been derided as “new money,” used her costume to align herself with the innovative and exciting new technology of electric light. This paper explores the cultural context of Vanderbilt’s dress in relation to publicity campaigns for electric light and the Statue of Liberty in the late 1870s and early 1880s. In donning such a dress at this high-profile event, Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt intimated that she, and by extension her family, was the future of New York society.

当爱丽丝·克莱普尔·范德比尔特 (Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt，1845-1934 年) 身着由沃斯大厦 (House of Worth) 为她家族 1883 年传奇化装舞会委托制作的电光连衣裙亮相时，她不仅展示了她的财富，还彰显了她的现代感。较知名家族的成员穿着历史悠久的服装，通过与欧洲贵族进行比较来确认自己的地位，而范德比尔特的家族经常被嘲笑为“新贵”，她用她的服装来与创新和令人兴奋的电动新技术保持一致。光。本文探讨了范德比尔特着装与 1870 年代末和 1880 年代初电灯和自由女神像宣传活动相关的文化背景。在这次备受瞩目的活动中，爱丽丝·克莱普尔·范德比尔特 (Alice Claypoole Vanderbilt) 穿上这样的裙子，暗示她以及她的家人，