Ordered some new business cards for myself from www.vistaprints.com this week. Their ‘free’
offer amounted to a substantial investment, but that’s another story. I’ll just
say beware of hidden fees. Anyway, it started me thinking about this convenient
means of introducing yourself and what you do.
It’s funny how we use the phrase “calling card” with no idea
of where it came from. I assumed it was
a different term for business card, so went looking the history of this social
custom.
Calling cards evolved in England and were an essential part
of introductions, invitations, and visits. In the 19th and early 20th century,
social interaction was a richly cultivated, well-mannered affair. The tool that
facilitated these interactions was the calling card. Its purpose is to signify
that you visited, and you may find a silver tray at an embassy or officer's
home to deposit calling cards. Not until after the Civil did calling
cards became a highly ritualized social grace where both men and women used the
cards at all manner of social occasions.
During the 1800′s and early 1900′s the practice of “calling”
upon or visiting one’s relatives, friends, and acquaintances was a middle and
upper class social ritual governed by countless rules and traditions. Central
to visiting etiquette was the use of the calling card. The giving and receiving
of calling cards developed a very elaborate set of rituals and rules that every
gentleman tried to master. In most Victorian homes, in the entry hall was
always a table where parcels could be left and more importantly, where a silver
tray or porcelain receptacle sat for receiving calling cards.
Leaving cards served as a means of social advancement. Most afternoon social life was spent making
calls, allowing 30 minutes per visit, and leaving a card at each house. There
was even a code of communication that evolved. A visitor folded down the upper
right hand corner if she came in person. A folded upper left corner indicated
she stopped to leave her congratulations. A folded lower right corner said
goodbye. A folded lower left corner offered condolences. It’s like calling card
short hand.
When the household servants moved out, and Alex Bell’s new-fangled
talking machine moved in, the practice and etiquette surrounding the sending
and receiving of calling cards suffered a slow death. During the heyday of
calling cards, using a business card for a social purpose was considered bad
manners. Calling cards were larger than today’s business card, at once more
impressive and much simpler in design.
So…how many times in a conversation does someone tell you
about their website or their blog, and you swear to check it out, but then
can’t remember its name when you get home? A calling card is the answer to all
of these situations. A calling card can
come in handy in any social situation in which you want to exchange information
with someone. Your calling card should reflect your personality. In our modern
society, technology has provided a myriad of ways for a new acquaintance to
contact you, and your card should reflect this. Remember, you may use the blank
back of the cards to write notes and invite someone to meet up with you again.
Calling cards…a lost art that still has a place in the ‘now’
of today’s society, where technology runs the majority of our lives.
What a cool article. I'd heard of calling cards, but never all this detail. Very informative, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting - I really enjoy digging out these tidbits of info.
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