For those who love love love etiquette
When you think of a cocktail party, you probably think of the 1960’s and in many senses you would be right. The 1960’s were the heyday of the home cocktail party. While we are living though a second golden age of cocktails, we generally go out to a bar or restaurant to drink, (at least…
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Oh, the lonely sad punchbowl. You see them on the bottom shelf at the goodwill. So forlorn, so forsaken. Why has this happened? I love punch. OK, in a Covid world, no one is drinking from the same bowl at the moment, but way before 2020, punch seemed to go the way of the dodo.…
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When we talk about modern informal service, we’re generally talking about dinner served at home with guests where servants are not used. Within informal service, there is the American Style and the English Style. American style also has a unique sub-category; Ranch or Country Style. We’ll be talking here about service only, not all the…
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Nut dishes are another item we rarely see on tables today, despite the fact they were used well into the 1980’s. Really coming into use during the high Victorian period, Nut dishes or nut cups were placed on the table in front of the place setting or in between place settings. Filled with nuts or…
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As I mentioned earlier, the Victorians loved a system of classification for everything, even if it wasn’t particularly rooted in science. So, when the Victorians developed an obsession with fortune telling and alternate spiritual realms, (I’ll cover this more in a future post) the highly detailed and classification oriented practice of Astrology became a natural…
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When canned goods became popular prior to the turn of the century, they were a luxury good. As they were mass produced and became available to all, a quandary arose. What should one do with cans that would be consumed in one, (or nearly one) sitting? Placing the milk in a pitcher for one family…
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I love wearing gloves. My favorite pictures of my mother have her dressed in coordinating outfits, with purse, gloves and shoes, all in complimentary shades. This was in the sixties, basically the last gasp for the glove. Before the twenties, there was not an hour of the day that ladies were not expected to wear…
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“It is always best to give something of your own production or discovery. If the recipient has any love for you, the value of the gift will be enhanced many fold by being the offspring of your effort and skill.” American Etiquette and Rules of Politeness by A.E. Davis, 1882 So, what was a Gent to…
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Just a quick post for those who wanted the directions and pattern for the hoot owl I posted on instagram. These are from a scrapbook of a woman who saved holiday and party ideas from 1895 to 1930. I believe this one is from the very early 1920’s. I hope you’ll post pics of any…
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“A great deal of comfort and satisfaction of a good dinner depends upon the carving. Awkward carving is enough to spoil the appetite of a refined and sensitive person. No matter how well the meats may be cooked, if they are mutilated, torn, and hacked to pieces, or even cut awkwardly, one half of their relish is destroyed…
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