Escort Cards

[Eleanor Rose]

It seems escort cards may have been a way for 19th-century singles to ever so slightly bend the rigid rules of social interaction. Suppose you were a lady in the Victorian-era. Suppose a charming bachelor caught your eye across the dance floor and wanted to get to know you. His options were rather limited. He could try to locate someone of good standing to introduce him to you, jeopardize his reputation by daring to speak to you directly or clandestinely pass you a small escort card.

According to Barbara Rusch, an expert in and a collector of Victorian written or printed memorabilia, escort cards became popular in the late 19th century when many women couldn't go out without a chaperone. Ms. Rusch says to bypass the strict social rules of the day, a man would surreptitiously slip an escort card to a woman he fancied, who might hide it "inside her glove or behind a fan."

Are these for real? How seriously do you think people took them? Below are a couple examples I found through Google.

 

[nitrofd]

It seems escort cards may have been a way for 19th-century singles to ever so slightly bend the rigid rules of social interaction. Suppose you were a lady in the Victorian-era. Suppose a charming bachelor caught your eye across the dance floor and wanted to get to know you. His options were rather limited. He could try to locate someone of good standing to introduce him to you, jeopardize his reputation by daring to speak to you directly or clandestinely pass you a small escort card.

According to Barbara Rusch, an expert in and a collector of Victorian written or printed memorabilia, escort cards became popular in the late 19th century when many women couldn't go out without a chaperone. Ms. Rusch says to bypass the strict social rules of the day, a man would surreptitiously slip an escort card to a woman he fancied, who might hide it "inside her glove or behind a fan."

Are these for real? How seriously do you think people took them? Below are a couple examples I found through Google.

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Now that is something different.did it get its start in the old south.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

Now that is something different.did it get its start in the old south.

It appears they were used throughout the country. I don't think they were used in high society, but by "the less formal male" in approaches to "the less formal female".

What do you think about this? The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported on Dec. 10, 1879 that an escort card was entered as evidence in a murder trial. A husband was accused of killing his wife and his defense attorney objected to the idea that an escort card "appears to have been introduced for the purpose of showing the accused to have been intimate with women other than his wife."

Escort cards were sold for less than a penny apiece, according to the local Union of Dec. 18, 1878.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

"Flirtatious and fun," according to the 2000 Encyclopedia of Ephemera, the personal flirtation — or acquaintance or escort — card "brought levity to what otherwise might have seemed a more formal proposal. A common means of introduction, it was never taken too seriously."

This one is pretty.

 

[captaindrew]

1800s internet dating?

 

[Eleanor Rose]

Check this site out. Click on acquaintance cards and scroll down to see some that were popular after the Civil War.

http://www.daysofelegance.com/callingcards.html



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[Eleanor Rose]

1800s internet dating?

Yep! Who'd have thunk it?

 

[nitrofd]

Check this site out. Click on acquaintance cards and scroll down to see some that were popular after the Civil War.

http://www.daysofelegance.com/callingcards.html



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The Victorian had way too much time on there hands for coming up with these.

 

[AshleyMel]

I think they are kind of charming! Maybe a bit exciting and rebellious to the receiver? Remember getting little notes in school from the little boy you used to like?

 

[Eleanor Rose]

I think they are kind of charming! Maybe a bit exciting and rebellious to the receiver? Remember getting little notes in school from the little boy you used to like?

Can you imagine getting an escort card from this guy?!?

 

[AshleyMel]

Can you imagine getting an escort card from this guy?!?

I could not press the "Like" button fast enough!

 

[Patrick H]

This is all new to me. Kind of interesting.

 

[Cavalry Charger]

Check this site out. Click on acquaintance cards and scroll down to see some that were popular after the Civil War.

http://www.daysofelegance.com/callingcards.html



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The "who the devil are you?" cards look a bit sinister to me I love the ones which show the courtship and eventual marriage (with additional explanations)...so sweet

I am left wondering how a lady would respond? How did she indicate her interest or agreement to being escorted home? Did she return the card to the gentleman with an answer? At least one card gives her the option of circling a yes/no response. Victorian courtship traditions are very interesting indeed. How exciting it would be to receive a card from a gentleman you were also interested in...

 

[PeterT]

Perhaps I needed these 40 years ago! Would result in a slap in the face I reckon. Far easier to slip one of these to sweet young lady than ask her to dance.

 

[donna]

Remember the dance cards. We had them at our Junior and Senior proms in High School. The boys would sign your card and request a dance. I think they go back many years. I doubt they have them now. I saved mine for years and put them in scrapbooks.

I remember seeing them in different old movies but can't remember which ones.

I didn't know about the escort cards. Very interesting. Eleanor, a great thread.

 

[dlavin]

Are these different from calling cards that were used when ladies visited others' homes? Other than switching the sender/receiver?

 

[EJ Zander]

1800s internet dating?

Or a classier way to deliver a pick up line

 

[donna]

I bumped thread on calling cards.

 

[GS]

From books I've read over the years, I believe they were used by the elite and possibly some yeoman class Southerners.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

I am left wondering how a lady would respond?

I know Southern ladies could communicate with their fans. It was like a whole other language.