For those who love love love etiquette
Now-a-days, we tend to think of napkin folds as kitsch. If we fold at all, it’s to have an always-used, exceedingly plain, “signature fold”. This is posited as our own hallmark on the table, rather than an attempt at something dramatic or whimsical. Somehow, it is perceived as trying too hard if we create fancy…
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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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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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Here are a few rules for attending a formal dance. I’ve written most everything in the traditional “man asks a woman to dance” because it was clearer, but it can be transposed for any couple of any stripe. The man is merely the one who asks the other to dance, the girl the one who…
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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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“In setting up any service for afternoon tea, the convenience in pouring must be the first consideration,. The teapot must be at the right of the one serving, and the fruit, sugar, and cream in front where they can be easily reached, The cups and saucers should be at the left in piles of two…
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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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“It is bad manners for a gentleman to use perfumes to a noticeable extent.” Encyclopaedia of Business and Social Forms, 1880 Old etiquette books are apparently very opinionated about a man’s toilette. When I was teaching etiquette, I taught a number of eleven and twelve year-old boys. I used to say that cologne should be used…
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“The dining-room must be quietly but well lighted. There should be no glaring lights, but a soft radiance which is so general as to make everything clear. An electric light hanging eighteen inches above the table, or a tall lamp whose light is at about the same height, either of them well shaded, are satisfactory additions to…
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