Calling Cards in Victorian England

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The Calling Card played a very important role in middle and upper class society in Victorian England, and was perhaps the forerunner of today’s business cards. This was a time where the rules governing “social intercourse” were rigid to the point of strangulation. One ignored these rules at one’s peril because the slightest slip in social protocol could mean someone was ostracized by polite society and thus missed all the parties, balls, dinners and afternoon tea gatherings that were truly necessary for a leg up the social ladder and all the benefits that journey accrued!

The practice of calling in England was similar to what was known as visiting in the USA and it was necessary to call on someone before any social invitations could be exchanged.

The visiting card had precise dimensions and was always black print on a white card. The card contained only the owners name and title and sometimes address but only if it was sufficiently impressive.

The days that one could call were those when the lady of the house made it known that she was at home. The act of calling required the visitor to knock at the front door, which would be opened promptly by the maid. The maid would be carrying a silver salver in her left hand. A gentleman was permitted to carry his visiting card loosely in his pocket but not so a lady, who had to have a card case, usually made of silver, although tortoiseshell was acceptable. The visitor placed the card on the silver tray with the right hand and then left the doorstep. It was usual practice to present a card to every lady of the household, servants excepted.

Gentlemen could fold the card’s right hand corner to show that he had come to the door and presented it himself. A lady, it was always assumed, was free of other commitments and thus able to present her own card.

The hostess would acknowledge the card, usually by first of all inviting the sender to drop in on one of her “at home days”. This gave her an opportunity to look over the visitor and decide whether or not they passed muster and were suitable material for further social exchanges. Sadly if a card was unacknowledged, the recipient was making it known that she had no intention of extending the acquaintanceship. This was a sure kiss of death in Victorian society.

For special occasions it was permissible to write on the cards using a fountain pen and black ink. If for instance you had attended tea in the hostess’s house you would leave a card inscribed with the letters “p.r.” The letters stood for “pour remercier” in French, meaning “with thanks”. However, if the invitation had been for dinner, a proper thank you letter would have been expected. If a gentleman wished to be formally introduced to one of the ladies of the house he would mark his card “p.p.” meaning, “pour présenter”, indicating a request for an introduction.

Victorian society was ruled by a whole gamut of rules and regulations, ignorance of which meant rapid expulsion and a shunning by those who set themselves up as custodians of an extremely inflexible pecking order.

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