Although I blogged a bit about the dance and dance card, today feels like a day to celebrate the beautiful and the frothily frivolous fashions of the Regency era. (Apparently alliteration always acts upon me during posts, so hopefully you enjoy a sing song read!)
“A programme of dances is given to the guests on their arrival. The dances should of course be arranged beforehand and it is convenient and inexpensive to have them printed on cards the numbered dances on one side and numbered lines for engagements on the other. A better plan is to have a card with dances on one page and spaces for engagements on the opposite one. These shut together and prevent pencil marks being rubbed off. A pencil should be attached by a ribbon but gentlemen should make a mem always to provide themselves with a small gold or silver pencil case when going to a ball so that they may be prepared to write down engagements. A pretty idea has been sometimes carried out at balls. It is that of having the order of dancing printed on small white paper fans large enough for practical use one being given to every lady on her arrival. The notion is charming and the expense not great. ” The ball-room guide, a handy manual
Mother of Pearl dance card from 1830
Antique French MOP dance card
Lovely post! Delightfully quaint in our eyes but I daresay not that frivolous. Apparently there weren’t many other opportunities to catch a husband. What d’you think?