The Venetian Princess of the Century

Carrie Astra, daughter of the Queen of Society, was told she couldn't attend a ball because her mother had never acknowledged Ava Vanderbilt. Mrs. Astra evidently decided that she loved her daughter more than her rules and allowed Carrie to take part in the spectacle. Alva Vanderbilt converted the upstairs gymnasium into a forest filled with palm trees and orchids. The party cost an estimated $250,000 back then, almost $6 million today.