For those who love love love etiquette
“In the home where guests are frequently entertained and where the hostess holds many formal social functions, servants are essential. Every family that can afford to do so, should have one, or two, or more servants according to social requirements an the appointments of the house. They should be well instructed in their duties and they should…
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When we think of etiquette that doesn’t really apply to our daily lives, horseback etiquette is at the forefront. While some of us still enjoy time with these beautiful animals, we generally do not rely on them for transportation or our livelihoods. Not so in the Regency and Victorian eras. For this first foray into…
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The Victorian’s really hated any form of eating that used the fingers. Everything in a Victorian’s existence was meant to separate the humans from animals. Bodily functions were never spoken of. Animal drives, such as eating or mating were to be avoided. This led to an unending set of rules when one sat down for…
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File under things we never see any more; tiny little plates, usually about 3 inches in Diameter set in the upper left corner of the place setting. Prior to the 1800’s with the exception of Royal tables, butter was likely served from a communal dish, either in small scoops or in a great mound. This…
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“Cards are the sign manual of society. Their use and development belongs only to a high order of civilization. They accompany us, as one writer has justly remarked, all the way from the cradle to the grave. They begin with engraved announcements fo the birth of a child, then cards for its christening, and, later…
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When it comes to formal dinner parties, there are three types of service that you will hear about: Service a la Francaise or French Service (sometimes called English Service in America) What preceded the type of service you see on shows like Downton Abbey? Before the Victorian era, tables were laden with food that was…
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“Brunch is one of the most versatile ways to entertain on today’s scene. All it takes is a creative hostess, an imaginative menu, an inventive drink and a happy spirit.” Girl Talk Magazine, April 1970 According to the Smithsonian Magazine, brunch was first mentioned in print in an 1895 Hunter’s Weekly article entitled, “Brunch: A Plea,” which was a…
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“The house guest who remains for some time may have her breakfast served on a tray so that she may not find it necessary to appear until the hostess has accomplished some necessary work. Also, an invalid usually has her breakfast served in this manner. The tray, which must be large enough to contain the…
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By 1922, Lilian Eichler writes that, “Menu-cards are no longer used at the formal dinner, unless it is in celebration of some auspicious occasion and honored guests are present. In this case, the hostess has the menus printed or engraved in a delicate script and has one placed beside the plate of each guest. A favorite fashion…
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“He attended to that and came down with an invitation for me to go up—yes, certainly; and, while we walked along over to the bank to get money, and collect my cigars and tobacco, and to the cigar shop to trade back the lottery tickets and get my umbrella, and to Mr. Natural’s to pay…
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