With Valentine’s Day approaching, I have something special to show you. They’re sweet, Victorian and embellished with flowers, birds and saccharine sentiments. But don’t let this fool you. They’re visiting cards, otherwise known as calling cards, used extensively as a tool of etiquette back in the day. Judging from their style, I’m guessing that these particular cards are from the 1920′s.
Before visiting someone, it was considered proper etiquette to first leave your visiting card at the home of the person you wanted to visit. In other words, you couldn’t just do a drop-in. I’m all in favor of the no drop-in rule, especially with my in-laws! Just kidding!
You can read more about the complex rules of visiting in Emily Post’s book, Etiquette in Sociey, in Business, in Politics and at Home, in the chapter devoted to Cards and Visits.
I began collecting these cards a few years ago and I now have eight, a nice gratifying number.
{ 24 comments }
What a cool concept, I wish we would still use it today. The one even has my name on it, which makes it even more awesome. Thanks for posting this.
How do you display them in your home?
.-= Blue Eyed Night Owl´s last blog .. =-.
so in love with these! gorgeous!
.-= lori (aka: marzi)´s last blog ..january 27, 2010 :: the onion peel =-.
So interesting – I didn’t know that! They’re really beautiful.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Parisian Feminine Chic =-.
Oh I love these! Visiting cards would be nice these days : P If only you could reject them! Haha.
.-= Lah Mode´s last blog ..Pants on the Ground =-.
Those are amazing! I didn’t know you could still find them. I may have to start my own collection now. I wish you the best of the luck in my giveaway.
.-= Studio MME´s last blog ..2nd Giveaway!!! =-.
just beautiful Katrina!
they are so elegant and brightly colored. . . i just love it.
too bad we have “left” behind most etiquette. . . don’t you think? ;)
i’ve always thought calling cards ought to make a comeback. your collection is scrumptious! i think even jane austen would have approved.
xo
.-= lindsey´s last blog ..::happy list:: =-.
Those are GORGEOUS! And btw, 8 is my lucky number :)
.-= Liz´s last blog ..Show & tell =-.
That’s a beautiful collection you have there. :)
.-= Marilyn´s last blog ..Flickr Favorites – Valentine Colors =-.
People live better in the old days don’t they? The idea of someone sneakily leaving a visiting card on my front porch and skipping off makes me smile! Such a cute thought. I’m gonna live in this bubble for a few minutes before the real harsh world seeps in again.
.-= Melly´s last blog ..2+2 =-.
oh how pretty, what gorgeous things to collect! i have a victorian scrapbook, i think it’d be something you’d rather like aswell, you should look them up on ebay if you haven’t already! or you’ll find them at old book sales, they so lovely :)
.-= Eadaoin´s last blog ..Blood & Ink ~ =-.
they’re so beautiful! where do you find them at? ebay? estate sales?
.-= Laila Al-Agha´s last blog ..[[Of Cabbages and Kings]] =-.
such a lovely idea, and what a great collection! wherever do you find them
.-= Kellie´s last blog ..time flies … =-.
wow, these are so pretty!
i hate how informal these days are..with cellphones and all…
but then, i’m so impatient…i can’t wait for visiting card!hehe.
.-= gizelle faye´s last blog ..i’m in love…and always will be. =-.
Aww, these are so incredibly sweet and lovely! I think visiting cards was a great idea, I’ve always liked it when mentioned in Jane Austen’s books:)
.-= Sher´s last blog ..Life in mono =-.
This is a wonderful collection Katrina!! I wish people still had beautiful visiting cards.
What a lovely collection…oh how I love vintage cards. xo
.-= koralee´s last blog ..{some french romance in a sweet package} =-.
These are so gorgeous! They remind me of the chapter in Little Town on the Prairie when Laura and her school chums order name cards. Have you read about how when different corners of calling cards were folded, it meant different things? Here’s some info I found about that: http://bit.ly/bFEWbW. I loved the idea when I was younger — the idea of communication via (simple) origami!
.-= catherine_sr´s last blog ..Cosmetics: how much does the outside count? =-.
These are so cute! And I totally second the comment about the in-laws…
i never came across such an etiquette before! but it’s really lovely to receive such a pretty card in the mailbox sometime. such traditions should just stick around still. :) it’s a very beautiful collection indeed. thanks for sharing, katrina! x
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..Fuzzy Inside. =-.
Wow, those are so gorgeous and detailed.
.-= The Clothes Horse´s last blog ..Climber Of Trees, Swinger Of Birches =-.
Wow, I didn’t know that! That is really interesting. If only we still had the rule that one should leave a note before coming over, that would be wonderful. And those cards are really beautiful by the way. :)
I love these vintage cards! So cute!
.-= Bethany´s last blog ..Stamp the Yard =-.
great post as usual!