Menu for the Ball Given by James Hazen Hyde

This ornate menu card exemplifies the decorative arts of the Belle Époque, designed by American architect Whitney Warren Jr. The elaborate border—featuring an idealized female head crowned with art nouveau flourishes, intertwining vines, and cornucopias overflowing with fruits and vegetables—frames the evening's offerings in elegant script. Such menus were standard at high-society galas, where typography and illustration served as markers of refinement and status. Warren's design employs the sinuous lines and mythological references characteristic of fin-de-siècle luxury printing, transforming a functional document into a collectible artwork that guests could pocket as a memento of the occasion.