Young ladies too tired to stand at a Black debutante ball

Miranda Barnes’s book Social Season opens with a poem set in the mid-1800s, a time that marked the beginning of increased financial prosperity for some African Americans. Cotillion dances have European origins, but Black New Yorkers adapted the waltz and quadrille, dressing in fine outfits; these debutante balls have a long history as one way African Americans sought to build better lives.

Today they still introduce young women into society and place a strong emphasis on education. Barnes had been working on a wider survey of Black subcultures — photographing cheerleaders, churches, traditional rodeos and intergenerational gatherings — and wanted to include a debutante ball in a post-industrial city.

She reached out to Detroit’s Cotillion Society planning to attend one year’s event, but after an evening in 2022 realised the subject needed a dedicated project.

United States, Detroit

miranda barnes, social season, cotillion, debutante ball, african americans, detroit, cotillion society, black subcultures, education, photography