Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness

First published in 1860, this guide to feminine conduct offers modern readers an extraordinary window into the rigid social machinery that governed a lady's every movement. Florence Hartley leaves no gesture unattended: how to fold a visiting card, how to decline an unsuitable suitor, how to dress for a ball without causing scandal. The advice ranges from the practical, navigating hotel stays and railway journeys, to the impossibly delicate, like the art of the morning call and the precise wording of correspondence. But beneath the pomposum and deference lies a fascinating artifact of Victorian womanhood, a world where a woman's worth was measured in accomplishments, comportment, and the ability to manage a household and select a suitable husband without appearing to have done either on purpose. For historians of gender, collectors of antiquarian curiosities, and anyone curious about the elaborate performance that was polite society, this volume serves as both protocol guide and cultural time capsule.