Masquerade balls were a feature of the Carnival season in the 15th century, and involved increasingly elaborate … See more

Masquerade masks were worn delicately by the prosperous class at balls. Masquerade masks had many uses including hiding one's identity, and using different colour to express one's freedom of speech and voice one's emoti… See more

In French Guiana, throughout the Carnival period, masked balls (known as paré-masked balls) take place every weekend. These are called Touloulous balls, where the Touloulous (women) are completely disguised a… See more

The picturesque quality of the masquerade ball has made it a favorite topic or setting in literature.
• Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Masque of the Red Death" is based at a masquerad… See more