One tradition that has been kept, and for the better, is the calling card, though it is now the business card. As I was designing one, I wondered more about the calling cards of the Regency. One fun fact is that the lady’s card was actually a little larger than a man’s.
There were so many rules to these cards and who was to receive one, one for each person of the house a gentleman intended to visit, folding the corner if a young woman was not at home to indicate a gentleman caller had come in person. And that women would, once introduced by the men of their houses, be allowed to expand their social circle and call on the ladies new to a neighborhood or their circle of acquaintances.
To leave a card was expected. To not have a card, or to not give a card, was considered a slight to the person and, perhaps, a whole household. When calling, it was necessary to present a card, even if only one gentleman or lady was present, for the servant would then present the card to the one being called on. It was then decided if the caller should be shown to a room of the host/hostess’ choosing or it would be left on the silver plate by the door.
Regency cards had both the name and address of the caller. The more expensive the quality of the cardstock, the greater the impression. Savvy individuals wanting to portray having wealth they could not claim but wanted would spend more for a card stock that helped them seem of a higher class. Still, the address on the card was equally important. No one in London would be fooled that a peer lived within three miles of the area known as the Seven Dials.
Hoban Cards, one of the sources, has a piece with the history of the calling cards, and some are too elaborate. They are almost garish, and I am rather glad it was not one of the Regency’s collections. However, you can see them and order cards from the site at the source link below. The Victorian era would see a great difference in the calling card with the advancement in printing and with the use of color. I have added an example here.
The one I chose is a mix of the two eras, the beauty of the Regency and the colors of the Victorian era, and, if simple, I think it blends the two beautifully sans the home address.
What kind of design did you use for your calling card? Or, if you do not have one, what would you choose to have on a card to represent you?
Sources for The Weight Your Calling Card Holds
Staple Photo: Facsimile Regency visiting cards with a modern business card to show relative sizes (Rachel Knowles’s experimental history 2022)
Vic “Calling Cards in Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion” Jane Austen’s World, April 9, 2008 Calling Cards in Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion | Jane Austen’s World (janeaustensworld.com)
Green, Clarie “Calling Cards and Visiting Cards: A Brief History” Hoban Cards, September 12, 2016 Calling Cards and Visiting Cards: A Brief History – Hoban Cards
Grace, Maria “Morning Calls and Formal Visits: Socializing in the Regency Era” English Historical Fiction Authors, August 10, 2013, English Historical Fiction Authors: Morning Calls and Formal Visits: Socializing in the Regency Era (englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com)
Knowles, Rachel “Visiting cards in the Regency” Regency History, June 1, 2022 Blog | Regency History
Regency Reader “Regency Culture and Society: The Etiquette of the Call” Regency Reader, Regency Culture and Society: The Etiquette of the Call – Regency Reader (regrom.com)
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