At the Frick Collection’s Young Fellows party Thursday night, the Garden Court looked like a sumptuous painting come to life. About 700 men and women, surrounded by 1,000 tulips, supped on oysters. Were such a scene to be rendered in oil and hung on the walls of the Frick today, it would have a title like the evening’s theme, “A Dance in the Golden Age,” and several artists would be credited: including fashion designer J. Mendel, jewelry designer David Yurman, and caterer extraordinaire Glorious Food.

Many guests boldly dressed themselves rather than borrowing clothes from such sponsors. Nelson Hitchcock, for example, sewed his Louis XIV costume, made with fabrics from the garment district. Amanda Mallan had her grandmother’s wig powdered white and styled in ringlets at the midtown salon Margrith.

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An up and coming politician from Massachusetts made his New York debut last week. Meet John Connolly, 31, a clean-cut lawyer who grew up in Roslindale, Mass., and now lives in West Roxbury with his wife Margaret, a graduate student. Mr. Connolly is running his first race in November, for a seat on the Boston City Council, and while Boston is 250 miles way, the race has earned the attention of a group of New Yorkers.

About 75 people in their 20s and 30s gathered last week in the wood-paneled backroom of Clancy’s, an Irish pub in Midtown, to raise money for Mr. Connolly’s campaign.

Friends from Harvard, Mr. Connolly’s undergraduate alma mater, made a strong showing. “I’d estimate about 70% of the people here are Harvard graduates,” venture capitalist Michael Douglas, a member of the host committee, said.

“My initial motivation was knowing John,” Harvard classmate Jon Ponosuk said. “Ever since I’ve known him, he’s been super, generous, and responsible.”

Others liked the idea of supporting a classmate with noble career intentions.

“He rejected the golden handcuffs,” Read Hubbard, who works at a hedge fund, said.

“It’s a shame that so many of my friends from Harvard end up being bankers,” Connor Schell, who works in television, said.

In brief remarks, Mr. Connolly acknowledged school ties. “There’s enough people in the room who knew me at Harvard, they could end my race tonight,” Mr. Connolly joked.

Mr. Connolly promised “bold, new ideas” in the areas of schools, housing, and public safety.

He focused on his New York ties, describing his time as a teacher at the Nativity Mission Center, a Jesuit middle school on the Lower East Side.

And he attempted to give the New York crowd reasons to care about his candidacy. “When you make a contribution to a candidate, wherever they’re running, it’s for good government, and good government gets replicated.”

Rick Le Brun, an attorney at Ropes & Gray, where Mr. Connolly once worked, offered another reason:

“I feel like this is the first step in a long political career.”

The mood was an interesting mix of heady idealism and bottom-line pragmatism.

About halfway through the event, a banker approached the greeting table, rattling the box where donations were being deposited.

“How much, how much?” the man said.

For the record, Mr. Connolly raised $10,000 in contributions. He’s hoping to raise as much as $250,000 in total.

“Believe it or not, I’ll need to run ads in Boston,” Mr. Connolly said.