The Public Balls in Late-Eighteenth-Century Vienna

This paper explores the social makeup of the public balls in late eighteenth-century Vienna. Focusing in particular on the Hofburg Redoutensäle and the Mehlgrube venues, I draw on contemporaneous descriptions and ticket lists preserved in the Wiener Stadt- und Landesarchiv to determine who attended these events. I argue that members of the nobility, the bourgeoisie, and the artistic community were all present at these balls, and consider the dance hall’s role as a vital mixing ground for eighteenth-century Viennese society. I also compare dance-hall attendance with concert-hall attendance, to demonstrate the potential for cross-fertilisation between the two domains. I claim that Jürgen Habermas’s basic three criteria for the emergence of a public sphere (1962)—disregard of status, accessibility of culture products, and inclusivity of the space—are found in this setting, and consider ways in which the dance hall might relate to later extensions and critiques of Habermas’s theory.