Lately I’m feeling very inspired by vintage dance cards. Our good friends at Wikipedia tell me that dance cards were used by women starting in the 18th century to record the names of gentlemen she intended to dance with at a formal ball. An actual dance card is typically a booklet with a decorative cover, listing dance titles, composers, and the person with whom the woman intended to dance. Typically, it would have a cover indicating the sponsoring organization of the ball and a decorative cord by which it could be attached to a lady’s wrist or ball gown.
I’ve found a few from around the web for your viewing pleasure (image credits listed at the bottom of this post):
From the top:
19030s Australian dance card via A Stitch in Time..(This Vintage Life)
1941 Fan dance card via of Lulu’s Vintage
1934 University of South Carolina dance card via The South Caroliniana Archives
1930s School dance cards via Vintagephotosrus
1894 dance card via U.S. Naval Academy Band History
Victorian dance card 1881 Caledonian Club dance card copyright bt Whimzy Treasures
1902 Icelandic dance card via Borgarskjalasafn
All imaged by their respective owners.
