Remarkably, the five star Grand Hotel National in Lucerne, Switzerland, has been in operation since 1870 and still flourishes today.

This delightful portrait of an elegant couple on the dance floor was for a dinner dance at the hotel dated 31 August, 1924.

Located on the shores of Lake Lucerne, with views of the Alps, the Grand Hotel National was built and completed in time for what everyone hoped would be a glittering summer season in1870. However, plans to attract wealthy Russian, French and British tourists were thwarted by the advent of the Franco-Prussian War.

After the war Cezar Ritz, the famous Swiss hotelier and founder of the Hotel Ritz in Paris and the Ritz and Carlton hotels in London, was brought in to give the place a shake-up.

He enlisted the help of Auguste Escoffier, the famous French chef and restaurateur who was a distinguished society figure in both Paris and London at the time. Escoffier’s many achievements included inventing the brigade de cuisine, the hierarchical system still operating in many commercial kitchens today, and codifying the all-important five mother sauces – bechamel, hollandaise, tomato, espagnole and velouté.

Today the Grand Hotel National, built in French Renaissance-style, offers 41 rooms and suites in the hotel wing, plus residence suites for longer-term and permanent stays. The entire ground floor is accessible to the public and features four restaurants, plus a café and a bar.

The artist who created this lovely portrait has signed the front menu cover but it has not been possible to identify him or her.