Chelsea Arts Ball, 1947

An annual New Year's Eve bash held at London's Royal Albert Hall, the 1947 iteration of the Chelsea Arts Ball was dubbed one of the most scandalous by Life Magazine. But while it was traditionally an event to dress up in silly costumes and let loose, this particular event was apparently attended by "several thousand bohemian artists, socialites and ordinary Londoners," including poet Dylan Thomas, and was shocking mostly due to its rampant displays of homosexuality, which was at the time still illegal. 

 [Photo via Getty]


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