The times., 1898-12-25
vELLuM AND OLD ENGL1sH.
Society Women Visit Almost Exclusively
With These Cards.


The stationer brought out all hot for
the holiday trade some very effective
novelties. To the women whose taste is
severly classical he has catered with
ivory white vellum note size and invita-
tion sheets, and as Mrs. Vanderbilt has
laid down the law In favor of a revival
of old English lettering, that style of
engraving appears on all the smart sta
tionery women's visiting cards are now
small square pieces of rather heavy vel
lum and the name runs in heavy black
Gothic characters. In the right and left
corners the day at home and
the address are printed in small neat Ro-
man type. Young ladies. who are under
the chaperonage OF a mother or aunt, use
one size smaller than those for matrons,
and they don't have any day engraved
on the parchment squares.
The large card. announcing a reception
tea, has been called in. sheet of vel
lum paper Is used exactly like that on
which parents announce or invite to n
wedding. and the usage of the hour is of
Roman numerals. Some hyper-fashiona-
BILE women give the number OF their street
and houses in Roman numerals on their
: cards; 1t is now the universal custom
on every invitation that is engraved, and
also In giving the house and street num-
ber at the top OF note paper. This has
an odd but very decorative look and the
only argument against II is that the prac-
tice will soon become vulgarized.
With a laudable desire to conquer that
feminine weakness for writing note any
way the sheets naturally turn, quires of
single leaf paper have been introduced
and strange 10 say the women like it,
You can buy box OF small single note
leaves or large single letter leaves of the
thInnest bank note paper, since that is
particularly good taste for letters, and
YOU are expected to write only on one
side of the sheet. At The top of every
leaf. oIt the side on which you write is
your address in tiny black Roman nu-
merals, and good taste now exacts that
you number your sheets at the top as You
go along
Having east out the big reception tea
cards. those women who are deep in all
the smart clubs and charities have or
dered parchment engagement cards. They
are longer than broad and are so engraved
that by only filing in the dates, a busy
society bee can let a protege or a fellow
worker in club or on a committee knew
expeditiously when she can see them and
for exactly how many minutes. Cards
Ike. these come in block pads and have
their own envelopes.
This winter said stationer who is
engraver by special selection to the smart
setS weddings are announced as much
by two small cards as the double sheet of
parchment or a single card from the
brides parents. The two-card arrange
ment consists of one that has Mr.. and
Mrs George Blissful Harmony at home on
it with their day and house number. Tied
to it. by a bit of white lutte string ribbon,
is tiny card bearing merely the brides
maiden name These cards are used a
great deal for sending around after the
couple have come home and are ready to
receive frinds.
The hopelessly frivolous women. who
perfume their note paper and dote on col
ors are enjoying new stationery in cloud
gray 1t comes in tones of gray gradu-
ated across each page from white to some
thing near smoked pearl, and most of this
folds into narrow envelopes that open at
the end From Japan has been borrowed
the custom of writing on one single very
long and quite narrow sheet. Sometimes
strip yard 'ong is used. when n epistle
is lengthy, and then the envelope for this
is bristol board cylinder about which
the sheet is wound and fastened with
green or red wax seals having ribbons un-
der them to insure easy removal
The Partisan who surrounds a family te
reavernent with all sorts OF pomp and .os-
tentatious details has sent Us white paper
with its edges deeply blackened and
creped though among the aristocracy a
more delicate expression of grief is given
by dead finished white paper having a
white creped edge. used in event of the
loss of young unmarried relative. or
near, dear and welded relation a black
Maltese cross. with Latin quotation sig
nifying resignation beneath. is steamped
on sheets of dull white paper
zone of our most popular contrivances
this year." reported the purveyor to our
American nobility, .is the specially de-
signed Christmas and New Year card
There are many among the very rich
who follow the English fashion of send
ing across the seal to friends with whom
they exchange no gifts, and to absent
relatives cards of the seasons greetings.
They prefer every one to have an indi-
vidual card, with space left in the CEN
ter in which to put autograph good wish
es. The rich woman orders her Christ
mas card designs from some famous ar
tist, such as Gibson, Pamela Smith, Mrs
Leslie Cotton, etc. and pays generously
1t is then copied in colors. or black and
white, on cards of a suitable size, and TO
any number required. The original draw
ing or water color the lady usually keeps
fr hor In. =,