The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-10
VISITING CARDS.
Their Origin and styles and Gus
toms i'm Different Nations.

The1r origin ana Styles ana Gus.
toms i'm Different Nations.
Boston Transcript
Visiting cards have currency through
out the world; they are a modern inven-
tion, and, like all truly good things, they
have tendency to be simple. Visiting
cards originated with the Chinese, and
there are those who maintain that the
Chinese are the politest people on earth.
The people in San Francisco do not
think so, but California has not thus far
been looked up to as the only home of
good manners.
Meanwhile, there are very many we'll
hammered people in San FRANCISCO; but
they are modest, they live quietly, and
SO 6hey do not exert that public intiu-
ence to which they are SO we'll entitled.
But even a bonanza owner can not deny
that visiting cards are Chinese inven-
tion. In China, rank is expressed by the
size of the visiting card. When Nc
Cartney had occasion to visit Peking as
the representative of the British Gov.
eminent, number of servants carried a
big bundle into his reception room,
which, when unrolled, covered nearly
the whole of the large chamber; it was
the visiting card Of the Chinese EN-
peror.
The people of Europe adopted visiting
cards little over hundred years ago,
when the influence of Chinese fashions
was greater than it is now. In America
the general use of visiting cards is Of re-
cent origin, and many of our most re-
nowned parties never had any; or they
used the backs of playing cards, or
whatever else came to hand. During
the era preceding the French revolu-
ton all gentlemen of education tried to
be gallants, and all ladies tried to be
reigning bellies.
In making calls they had to inscribe
their names in a book kept for that pur-
pose by porters. This was inconvenient
for many reasons. The people dressed
for call found it inconvenient to write,
and the French ladiesin particular wrote
more or less badly. The wicked world
protests to this day that many great Ia
dies do not write very elegantly or very
correctly-that is to say, French ladies.
A printed or engraved card was an ad-
mirable substitute, ard the fashion of
Paris spread over the world.
The earliest visiting cards of France
was done up in the rocco style, and
contained full announcements, such as
"the visit of the Countess Wonderful"
or "the Marquis of Emerald has the hon
or to wish you happy new year." These
early fashions were superseded by
the classicists They represented a
wanderer among the ruins Of Athens de-
ciphering an inscription which repre-
sented the name of the caller. The Wis
iting cards of Louis XVI were adorned
with flowers and birds. The artists ex-
celled in adorning their cards, and ladies
usually saturated them with their favor
ite perfume.
Under the first empire all cards were
plain or ornamented with some allego-
rical allusion to Greece or Rome. The
restoration introduced little ornaments
in pink, sepia or many-colored edges.
Under Louis Philippe, heavy bristol
board cards of good size bore the callers
name in very delicate form--to indi-
cate the modesty of the great. 1t was
then customary to have small cards with
very great names, and in the early days
of photography some people had their
cards embellished with their portrait.
More recently, and especially in this
country, all visiting cards are rather
plain, and they are very much alike. As
a rule, engraved cards are preferred, and
the tendency is to leave off as much as
possible, except the name. People of
standing think it below their dignity to
add their rank or their address, taking it
for granted that these matters are gener-
ally known or easily learned from direc-
tories. In leaving cards they avoid ad-
ditional messages or signs, the card itself
being supposed to tell its tale, and if left
| by the owner in person to confer honor
enough for one day. Servants are not
allowed to fold cards, as folded card is
supposed to come directly from the per-
son whose name it bears. -.
There has of late been a tendency to
add ornaments to cards, also titles or
crowns, and gentlemen of reputation like
to add "Mr.," as mark of special mod
esty. But the simpler card is the bet
ter it answers its purpose, which is no
other than to take the place Of the per-
son itself on occasions where the recep-
tion of the owner would be inconvenient
on either side, or useless ceremony.
Gentlemen, in calling on ladies, often
make it a point to use cards for the pur-
pose Of giving ladies an opportunity to
discontinue an acquaintance in a grace
full manner. If lady declines to see a
gentleman once or twice, the gentleman
knows what that means, and he with
draws by leaving his card once more