James C. Darby: Capturing the Glamour of a Lost Era James C. Darby’s photographs are more than just images; they're portals to a specific, shimmering moment in American history – the mid-1950s and early 60s, a time of burgeoning social change overlaid with an enduring fascination for elegance and spectacle. His most celebrated work, “Guest at the Beaux Arts Ball” (1958), and his extensive documentation of events like the Queen of Finnie’s Masquerade Ball offer a remarkably intimate glimpse into the world of high society, ballroom dancing, and the carefully constructed identities presented w…