A ticket to the first Met Gala in 1948 cost $50.
The event was founded by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert as the Costume Institute Benefit, a midnight dinner intended to raise money for the newly established institute. Unlike the modern gala, the first benefit was not held inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art; it took place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel.
The $50 price is a striking contrast with modern Met Gala tickets, which cost thousands of dollars and are often purchased by corporations or fashion houses. Attendance has also become far more exclusive, with invitations ultimately controlled by the event’s chair and organizers.
The benefit developed into the Met Gala after Diana Vreeland joined the museum in the 1970s and helped transform its fashion exhibitions and fundraising profile. Anna Wintour later became chair in 1995.