Social Stationer]
ilifornia
;ional
Llity
HEWITT'S BOOK STORE
t17 PINE AVENUE LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA
A DESK BOOK ON THE ETIQUETTE OF
SOCIAL STATIONERY
BT
JEAN WILDE CLARK
EATON, CRANE AND PIKE COMPANY
NEW YORK PITTSFIELD, MASS.
Copyright 1910 by Eaton, Crane and Pike Company
Price, $1.00
CONTENTS
Etiquette of Stationery, 1
Monograms, 7
The Letter on the Desk, 17
Special Letters, 27
The Formal Invitation, 37
Weddings, 44
Card Etiquette, 60
You and Your Writing Paper, 71
Index, 87
A Complete Wedding Invitation and
A Diagram of Sizes of Writing Papers and Envelopes
in Pocket inside back cover
2101178
ETIQUETTE OF STATIONERY
/\ WOMAN is known by the stationery she uses. „„ ,, Paper talks. We read between the lines, along of the the margin, and across the envelope, the story of good or bad taste which speaks in tone, tex- ture and design.
It's the paper on the desk, not the desk, or the handwrought paper weight, which gives side lights to character and marks the fair scribe as genuine, distinctive, charming or the reverse.
The absent button and the misconnected belt /^ Reading line talk loudly of their owner, but the rustle of the of her note paper is still more potent. aper
A woman's stationery opens up a new field to the student of human nature.
One reads the ultra person in the bright blue correspondent, and the careless disregard to daintiness in the page of poorest texture which takes the writing like a blotting pad. Again the modish woman, tasteful and with well-bred
[1]
Fads and Fashions
Stationery Standards
The Paper
on the
Desk
SOCIAL STATIONERY
charm, trips across the surface of a fabric- finished page toned to softest pearl or ivory, while she of strength and enterprise speaks quickly from the heavy masculine sheet and envelope.
Fashions in stationery rise and fall, differ and turn as do the curves of milady's hat brim. The seasons are marked by many changes in texture, shape and size, often within the realm of good taste, but the fads and fancies of the mo- ment, which run to exaggerated tone and design, are shunned by the woman of refinement.
This little book aims at the best in stationery. Within its pages one may cull many authentic informants, who quote of social usage and the gentle art of etiquette.
The paper on the desk is our first consider- ation. Three sizes — Lucile, Stockton and Winthrop — are at milady's disposal for social correspondence; for men, the Gladstone, Curzon and Signet sizes. All these and other sizes are shown on the diagrams in the pocket inside of back cover.
[2]
ETIQUETTE OF STATIONERY
The smaller of the three sheets (Lucile) claims notes of a few lines only, congratulations, regrets, and condolences.
The second size (Stockton) is for all social notes, the informal invitations, or the hasty line which requires little space.
The third or letter size (Winthrop) is, as implied, for general correspondence, for the good talking letter to one's dearest friend, and because of its manifold uses should be kept on hand in double quantity.
A high authority states :
"There is one fashion which has never changed — the most perfect of all styles — good, plain, thick, white note paper, folded square and put in a square envelope. ' '
On the other hand, we have the word of an equally eminent stationer, who declares that "The people will have what they want. "
Many women of excellent taste select one style of stationery, and regardless of existing modes hold to it for years. This is distinctive, but a glance at the charming varieties of the
[3]
First Size
Second Size
Third Size
Selection
SOCIAL STATIONERY
stationer's art tempts one to endless modifica- tions, and the trial of one's own ingenuity in motif, monogram and inscription. Newest '^ie newes^ papers show a fabric finish such Papers as CRANE'S LINEN LAWN. Two others, popular for a slightly rough surface, are CRANE'S FINE CHAIN LAID and CRANE'S DISTAFF LINEN.
The color of these papers is that white which is known as DRESDEN WHITE.
These papers are smooth to the pen and firm, without any gloss, and they are to be had in two thicknesses.
Notwithstanding the fact that the fabric- finished papers are more popular and there- fore more fashionable, many people prefer the smooth-surface papers, from which there is an equally good choice. Among them might be mentioned CRANE'S KID FINISH, CRANE'S EARLY ENGLISH and CRANE'S SATIN FINISH. CRANE'S BOND is best liked by those who pi'efer paper of a light weight and is especially popular for foreign correspondence on account of its strength and excellent character.
[4]
ETIQUETTE OF STATIONERY
Envelopes vary in size and shape and follow no strict rule. A new design is large and almost square, and there are matching sizes for the smaller sheets.
The oblong envelope is, however, considered more generally correct, although a square one in medium size is always in good taste.
The thin-lining envelope of contrasting or darker tone is a late fancy. This idea originated for foreign mail and the transparent envelope, but has been taken up generally by stationers with extremely pleasing results.
Many of these linings are quite distinct from the envelope proper, closing separately with a narrow fold. The contents are thus doubly secure, and the writing concealed.
Violet is a favorite tone for the lining envel- opes, combining well with the palest shades of gray or champagne. Two tones of blue are also good, and a russet lining with an ecru paper is most attractive.
In decoration, one may also choose from many modish forms. For instance, the tiny
Envelopes
Envelope Linings
SOCIAL STATIONERY
r, , Italian border of color, iust lining the edge of Forms of
Decoration sheet and fold of envelope, is most attractive. Daybreak Pink or Baltique Blue with a small monogram in self-tone is in pleasing taste, the monogram appearing again on the envelope if not obtrusive.
Quarter-inch borders of a darker shade than the paper are set a half-inch inside the edge. The pastel colors are extremely dainty treated in this way.
All these variations from the simple unglazed white note sheet in its square-cut envelope are, although quite correct, entirely a matter of individual taste and but hints for the interested. There is no better or higher form, however, than the kid-finished paper, unruled, unglazed, of firmest texture and show- ing but a tiny crest or unobtrusive monogram.
[6]
MONOGRAMS
IViONOGRAMS play a most important part in the ethics of stationery.
Motifs, emblems and symbols once used so universally for distinction of class and indi- vidual, have in the evolution of time and race dwindled into general disuse. These are not the days of emblazoned walls and iron-wrought hangings. The armored knight who bore his color and his crest aloft for recognition is a shadowed memory put away with the fashion of king since the year '76.
Still, we Americans enjoy a touch of distinc- T,
Democratic
tion which, lost to us through democracy, Crest becomes the cult of individualism, the seal of ownership, the mark of belonging. This fond- ness takes form in name marking in the cipher motif and the graceful monogram.
A striking monogram, combining the first letters of the full name or the first and last
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Original Monograms
Designing the Monogram
name is an enviable possession. A woman finds many schemes for its use in the marking of her underwear, table linen, etc., but its touch upon her stationery holds the greatest charm and gains her the credentials of the gently bred.
One cannot urge too strongly the necessity for originality and unusualness in monogram conceits. The stereotyped designs of twisted letters, which are cheaply procurable at the stationery counters, do not lend that mark of personality which is distinctive.
Often one hits upon a clever trick of letter twining with a little pencil practice, and finds the work most interesting as well.
A favorite flower form turned to develop a unique device is at once a personal insignia, and with the monogram stands for what may be called the ' ' democratic crest. ' '
The designer well versed in this work com- bines the letters so that each stands out clearly
[8]
MONOGRAMS
.
and is easily deciphered at a glance. Curling lines and waves which mean nothing, but only deceive the eyes, are never found in the best examples.
The simpler conception shows the better workmanship, and too strong coloring or high gilding is in doubtful taste.
Among the present modes one notices the long monogram in rather common use. This is set at the upper left corner of note and letter paper, and may be embossed in three tones of one color, or in single gold or silver. Again, the drop letter monogram occupies about the same space, and is most attractive in three tones.
A square effect, the letters in color on a block of gold, or the lines of the device turned to form a square, are among the best designs.
The place of stamping is optional and de- pends largely on individual taste, but the full line of paper should show the same marking, a
[9 ]
Present Forms
Placing the Monogram
SOCIAL STATIONERY
smaller die being often cut for the first size sheets or place cards.
37 flroapert Street Summit, JQ.3T.
Center or side stamping is a matter of taste, the center being perhaps the most used. If the envelope is marked, the monogram should match the paper exactly in tone and placing.
SOUTH ISLAND ALEXANDRIA BAY, >f.Y.
A striking example is a note paper of heavy white with narrowest coral border. The small monogram in gold and coral is set at the ex- treme left of paper heading and envelope fold. Setting the monogram on the fourth page is, although rather extreme, still used by the best stationers.
A N Id ^ new ^ea *s ^° se^ ^e mon°gram across the
center of the fourth page. The paper is then
[10]
MONOGRAMS
turned and the writing continued the length of the open sheet. The note is not folded in the ordinary way, but from side to side of the closed sheet, and the envelope is of necessity long and narrow.
A copy of one's signature, or better still, the first letters of the name, forms a pretty conceit for a page heading, but should only be used for personal correspondence.
The hostess at her country house sends the H p informal invitation for a week's end on the second size note sheet, which bears a tiny line of directions along the upper left margin and the name of her house or the township at the right, thus:
Telephone-922 The MANOR
Express— Dayton Station View Point, Connecticut
Telegraph— Dayton
R. R. Station— Dayton, Conn.
Post Office— View Point, Conn.
[HI
SOCIAL STATIONERY
This helps many a guest along a strange way and saves the busy hostess the writing of minute directions. Letter paper, showing the house
3^0 Wt&t Jiftp*ct&!)tl) Street address at upper right or center, is very good
TWENTY WEST FORTY-NINTH STREET
form. It may be used by any member of the household, or a guest, but the hostess chooses her monogramed sheets for her personal letters. p. , Pictured papers are a foreign importation Paper and are not in favored use in America ; still a tiny view of one's country house or a sketch which bears out the name, as ' 'Red Oaks, ' ' is permissible and entirely a matter of taste. The design must be small and set at the center of the sheet. It is carried out either as a water- color sketch, or stamped in single tone of gold, green, dull red or blue.
MONOGRAMS
The raised water stamping or embossed effect is simply attractive. The best taste for men's stationery is the unadorned plain square folded sheet of white paper ; still this unobtru- sive white stamping for crest or tiny monogram is quite permissible.
Tablets of good size and quality are some- times monogramed in the upper left corner, the single sheet folding once and again into an
<_svtrJ.
[13]
White Stamping
Monogramed Tablets
Place Card Actual Size 3|xll
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Place Cards
Place Card Actual Size
oblong envelope. This idea may be used by a business woman, while the single note sheet, with a small square envelope, is also a novelty for the few lines.
Monogramed place cards are a pleasing inno- vation and almost a necessity to the woman who entertains. A heavy gilt-edged card is used with the monogram in gold at the left. The guest's name is written on the card.
Again, the hostess may use the color scheme [14]
MONOGRAMS
of her table in the marking of her place cards, or substitute them for tallies by attaching a tiny pencil in the color of the monogram. A plain white card monogramed in Christmas red or green with a written word of greeting, makes a pretty, new accompaniment to a gift, and carries a decided touch of personality. The use of these cards at any season for a thought to a friend cannot fail to be appreciated.
The best papers of the season, such as „
Correspond-
CRANE'S LINEN LAWN in shades of Daybreak ence Cards Pink, Willow Green and Orchid, show match- ing correspondence cards, which exactly fit the envelope and like the paper are bordered with a narrow darker line. These take charmingly to monograming and are a convenience for the note of a few lines. The marking may be in the darker shade or in silver — silver stamping having a decided vogue this season.
[15]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Book Marks Book-marks are a novelty and lend them- selves most readily to all forms of monogram and personal insignia. Their mission is to protect one's property, and they are pasted on the inner cover of one's books to designate ownership. Here fancy may run riot in the conception of designs which carry the touch of individuality.
[16]
THE LETTER ON THE DESK
V_y NE MAY acquire the art of letter- writing. Few possess it. A glance down the page of a fair example of our correspondence finds it studded with personal "I's" and filled with household groans.
The letter which is a joyous thing, bringing j^ Letter with it a subtle touch of the sender, and convey- We Look for ing the sense of a personal chat, is the one we seek at the postman's ring. Many clever, fluent talkers become incoherent at the touch of ink. They cannot put themselves on paper and the non-expressive, disappointing type of letter is the result.
The rigid rules of school-day letter-writing one must needs unlearn in the world's class- room. We have no space for shaded pothooks in the characterized hand which we soon assume after our copy-book graduation. One's chirog- raphy may be clear, unique and distinctive, but
[17]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
it is what we write, not how we write, that counts.
G , The good letter is first well spelled and Letter readable, without doubts of ending g's and uncrossed t's. It is direct and clear, void of rambling sentences which require dissecting at the page end, and lastly, it is a personal pen picture — bringing the sender quickly to the mind's eye, and drawing the cords of friendship close.
Remember that friends, even the best of them, although interested in you and yours, care little to read four well-filled pages of do- mestic news. The departing cook, the teething baby and the food one's husband cannot eat, are not all-absorbing topics to the recipient, and unless of a serious nature, should be left out, or touched on only in a humorous way. It's an interesting little study in possibilities to put down the serious version (to oneself) of a household problem, and then convert the same situation into jest form. It creates that touch of buoyancy which can show a laugh for
[18]
THE LETTER ON THE DESK
a tear, and excites the broad smile of amuse- ment. It may be just the needed change in the point of view which helps the other woman through a weary day. Try it and see how quickly such a letter is answered.
And speaking of answering, how many of us really do it ? We catch up a sheet of paper, cover it with our own absorbing doings, add a hurried line of health inquiry and send it out. Yes, it is worth just about the price of the two-cent stamp, attached with a crooked slant into the envelope corner.
Read over the letter to be answered before you begin to write. It is a notable help and lends many a clue to an interesting line. Bits of news from the doings of mutual friends may be introduced, and the mention or criticism of new books is often an appreciated word to the friend who may not be able to keep in touch with the world's latest accomplishments.
Forms of address are governed by a few well- made laws. In America, My dear is considered more formal than Dear, the opposite being the
[19]
Answering the Letter
Forms of Address
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Formal Address
Addressing the President
case abroad. Good breeding directs following the custom of the country in which one resides. The delightfully talkative letter to one's friend and equal may not be headed at all, but assume the charming tone of a continued conversation, as: / am thinking, dear, how much I want to see you.
A slight acquaintance is addressed as My dear Mr. Willis, and titles should not be abbreviated to Prof, or Dr. ; My dear Doctor is the proper form, while Doc. is the height of vulgarity.
Dear Miss, omitting the name, is equally bad form, but Dear Madam may be used in address- ing a woman in the most formal terms.
The President is addressed formally as Sir. The envelope reads :
The President
Executive Mansion
Washington, D. C.
The Vice-President is addressed as Sir, or
Mr. Vice-President, Sir:
[20]
THE LETTER ON THE DESK
A Senator, Congressman, Mayor or Judge genatora has the prefix Honorable, as
Hon. James F. Smith A letter is addressed
The Honorable James F. Smith Dear Sir :
A Governor is addressed as Excellency and Sir. A Bishop in the United States is Most Reverend Sir.
In addressing a Protestant Minister one uses Dear Mr. Irving, and the envelope reads
The Rev. John F. Irving
The letters D.D. are added if Mr. Irving is a doctor of divinity. The envelope may also be addressed to
Reverend Dr. John F. Irving
No form of speech is so incorrectly used as [21]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Use of the *he third person. It is only needed in the most Third Person formal correspondence, or in the answering of an invitation, but when used in the opening sentence, it must continue to the end, and re- main unsigned.
Occasionally we meet such blunders as :
Mrs. John Brown returns the coat purchased yesterday from Smith & Co. I do not like the color.
The note should be couched in the first person throughout, and bear Mrs. Brown's signature, or should read :
Mrs. John Brown returns the coat purchased yesterday from Smith & Co., the color being unsatisfactory.
In the lower left corner Mrs. Brown's address is written, if it does not appear on the paper heading.
The telephone, telegraph and cable have done much to obliterate correspondence. We shorten our lines in these hurried times to note
THE LETTER ON THE DESK
size, although no suspicion of haste must show in the wording.
Under no consideration is a type-written ™ T d letter permissible in social usage. Letter
A business letter, however, may be typed and bears the subscription of name and ad- dress thus :
Mrs. C. F. Fowler
288 Madison Avenue
New York Dear Madam :
Such a letter closes with Yours very truly, and is signed, not typed, with the signature of the sender, or the name of the business firm.
Many married women use their title incor- ^ natures rectly. A woman does not use initials, or the superscription Mrs. in social correspondence; she signs herself:
Dorothy Hudson Black
If the letter is of a business nature, or the person to whom she writes may not know her
[23]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
husband's name, she adds her married title in brackets beneath, thus :
Dorothy Hudson Black (Mrs. Charles S. Black)
An unmarried woman writes ( Miss) in paren- theses when addressing a stranger to distinguish her from a widow. Writing the title of Mrs. is not permissible on a woman's checks, letters or notes, or in fact at all, except when registering at a hotel, or of necessity on a card, should she happen to be without one of her own, or when writing to a servant.
The wife of a doctor is simply Mrs. Charles Brown, and has no claim to title unless she has gained it individually.
Professional Professional women use their titles as do men . Women A practicing woman physician is addressed professionally as :
Dr. Mary T. Jones
A divorced woman is addressed as Mrs. , not [24]
THE LETTER ON THE DESK
Miss, even when she has resumed her maiden name. Should she retain her husband's name, she adds her own surname with her Christian name, thus:
Eleanor Stewart Smith (Mrs. Eleanor Stewart Smith)
One uses Cordially yours, or Yours very sincerely, in closing letters and notes. It is extremely bad form to omit the word yours in either social or business letter endings. Yours very truly is the approved business form.
Taste and judgment must govern the order of pages. Beginning on the first, turning to the last, and then finishing across the third and second is practical, as the first is turned on the blotter, while the fourth is in progress.
Notes are usually begun on the first and ended on the fourth page, but a formal note or invi- tation should cover but the first page, and not lengthen to a second.
A note of extreme intimacy may be written inside the sheet from second to third pages.
[25]
Closing the Letter
Order of Pages
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Fold™ ^ne ktter must be folded evenly to fit the
envelope. Using a mismatched envelope is unpardonable, and is classed with the ruled paper and the half sheet.
If extra space is needed to finish the letter, an entire new sheet must be used, even when only a few words are inscribed.
A letter whose margin and heading space is filled in with parting scrawls has a decidedly ill-bred appearance, and needs a chart of direc- tions as well.
An even margin allowed at the left of the page is attractively neat, but often forgotten. j. Addressed or monogramed paper is some-
what marred if dated at the head of the page. The date is therefore added after the signature, at the lower left corner and is more elegant if not abbreviated.
An address should be written: 236 Fifth Avenue.
Dates and numbers may be shown in figures, on business letters, but quantities are fully written.
[26]
SPECIAL LETTERS
IT IS extremely bad form to ask for a letter of The Letter of introduction in the social world. Such letters Introduction should be the spontaneous prompting of a friend, unbidden. If you can make two people acquainted who are equally well known to you, who are sure to enjoy each other or who may gain mutual benefit from each other, it is charmingly courteous to offer the introductory note.
Eccentricities, failings or personalities should not be touched upon, and only the kindly phrase be used which may pave the way for the stranger, or open a social door. The friend who bears the note should know under what terms she is introduced, and it is a pretty courtesy to read the contents, or ask to have it read. The letter of introduction may follow this form, and can hardly be too cordial in tone :
[27]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
DEAR FLORENCE:
This will introduce to you Miss Louise Smith of Philadelphia, whose praises I have so often sung. Miss Smith will be in your charm- ing city for a few weeks, and I am so fond of you both that it delights me to have you meet.
With loving thoughts for you and all the family circle, BETTY
The Address The envelope is addressed to the person to whom the introduction is made, not the bearer, and is, of course, unsealed, as is any message sent by friendly hand.
, ,. The bearer has two ways of delivery. She may
Presentation J J
either leave the letter in person with her visiting card, but without a request to see the person addressed, or she may enclose it in a second envelope with her card, showing temporary address, and send it by mail or messenger.
The recipient of the introductory letter should lose no time in calling on the new friend or acknowledging the letter, and should show her some attention socially, if possible. The French proverb has it, ' ' The friends of our
[28]
SPECIAL LETTERS
friends are our friends." A man receiving an introductory letter puts the visitor up at his club and shows him some courtesy after a prompt call.
A line of introduction on one's visiting card is often used by busy people, and is quite cor- rect. It savors of haste, however, and is there- fore in more general use along business than social lines.
The introductory card is presented in person and reads:
Introduction by Card
Mrs. William Howell Meade
Five hundred and twelve North End Avenue
[29]
Actual Size
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Invitation
It is an act of courtesy if one has enioyed a The Bread J J J
and Butter" friend's hospitality for one or more days, to
Letter wrj^e immediately a short note of appreciation.
Such a line may touch upon one's safe home
arrival, any little incident of the journey, and
express the pleasure derived from the visit.
An invitation, no matter how informal, must be answered within a week and with certainty. Any delay, or doubtful expression that you think you can come, or will come if in town, is the height of ill breeding. Your hostess wishes to know exactly how many guests to expect, and your answer must be a positive one. The wording of acceptance or regret follows exactly that of the invitation and is addressed to the person who invites you. Invitations to informal affairs — small dinner, luncheon, or a week's end — may be written on note sheets and couched in the first person. The wording should cover only the matter in hand, be free from stiff, stock phrases, and pleasingly cordial in tone.
For the house party the hostess may begin her note of invitation :
The House Party
[30]
SPECIAL LETTERS
DEAR Miss BROWN :
I am asking a few people out for the week's end.
She may mention some especial guest or friend to be met, and add a kindly word on the sports or festivities to be enjoyed, that her guest may know what dress is expected. An enclosed time table is a happy thought, and the exact time of arrival and departure may be stated.
Informal notes are written for the theatre ^ Theatre party. The guests should include an equal Party number of people, and if a man invites, the chaperon's name is mentioned in the invitation. The theatre party is followed by a supper, which is of course stated in the note, or it may succeed an informal dinner.
Invitation wording must be followed exactly and the fact kept in mind that husband and wife are one in social ways.
A dinner invitation must include the name of both host and hostess, no matter how in- formal, and the eldest daughter, if hostess in
[31]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
The Home Dinner
A Small Dance
her father's house, includes his name when issuing a dinner invitation.
The home dinner is by far the highest form of courtesy. The invitation wording may be in the third person, thus:
Mr. and Mrs. James Brown
would be happy to see
Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Smith
at dinner on Thursday, the fifth of January,
at seven o'clock. Sixty-four Madison Avenue.
Less formal is the personal note in the first person: Will you and Mr. Brown give us the pleasure of your company? etc.
In answering, the wording should be : It gives much pleasure, not It will give.
A young girl does not invite men in her own name, but she may write informal notes on her own paper, saying that her mother or chaperon desires her to extend the invitation.
A small dance needs but a written line on the hostess' monogramed paper, but its word- ing includes her husband's name, thus:
[32]
SPECIAL LETTERS
MY DEAR. Miss BLANK :
Will you give us the pleasure of your company at a small informal dance on May 5th? Trusting that we may see you,
Most cordially yours,
MARY HUDSON SMITH
Regrets or acceptance must under no circum- stances be written on one's card, but take the form of a short note following the invitation wording.
The etiquette of card invitations is found in a later chapter.
The congratulatory note should be genuinely joyous, but is more often an obligatory burden, lations
A birthday letter to an aged friend should have no hint of the advance of years, but rather the ' ' touch of the spirit of youth. ' ' Kindly, friendly interest must prompt the letter of congratulation, and its true ring cannot fail to be appreciated.
Heartiest congratulations written on one's card, is sufficient to accompany gifts of flowers for the young mother, or a wedding anniversary
[33]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
remembrance. One offers the best of good wishes to a bride, but never congratulations- — these are for the bridegroom only. A letter of congratulation to the bridegroom, if an inti- mate friend, is a pleasing attention. Such a letter includes well wishes for the bride.
Congratulatory telegrams are addressed to the newly wedded pair on the day of the wed- ding, and should be received as soon after the ceremony as possible.
L tt rs of Letters of condolence are by far the most Condolence difficult form of written etiquette. One shrinks from touching another's grief, and yet there is no other way of sympathetic expression. Even between closest friends the presence of death seems to draw a wordless veil and leaves one dumb and inarticulate, but this would not exist if we could realize how much the sorrowing one needs and wants our sympathy. A word coming at such a time, if but from the merest acquaint- ance, brings an unquestionable relief and help, for it bears the comforting touch of a human hand.
[34]
SPECIAL LETTERS
Still, a note of condolence is most difficult at times to compose, and if one cannot find satis- factory wording, the simple line Sympathy on one's visiting card is sufficient.
The written word should be short, but genuine. / am thinking of you and sending you my heartfelt sympathy has a touch of personal warmth.
The letter or card is sent or left in person, but without the request to see any member of the family.
One should give such sympathetic expres- sions immediate attention, and not neglect them until the funeral is over.
Notes of condolence are never written on black-bordered paper, unless the person who writes is also in mourning.
An engagement is usually announced by a Engagements tea given by the girl's mother or near relative. Engraved announcement cards are not issued, except by families of Jewish or German extrac- tion.
A luncheon given by a friend of the engaged
[35]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
girl, the news coming as a surprise, is a charm- ing form of announcement. The invitations are simple notes written in the first person. A Shwoer ^ "shower" for the bride-elect may shortly follow the luncheon. The invitations are sent by the girl at whose house the shower is to be, and read :
DEAR Miss BROWN:
I am giving a linen shower for Miss Smith on Friday at four o'clock. Will you not come, and, if possible, send your remembrance to me in the morning, as I am planning a surprise ? Trusting I may see you on Friday, Very cordially yours,
FRANCES WHITE
[36]
THE FORMAL INVITATION
A,
.LL FORMAL invitations, which include the evening reception, dinner, or dance, are en- graved. The names of both host and hostess appear on invitations for weddings, dinners or evening receptions and the cards should be sent Wfl ntoi> at least two weeks in advance. Invitations for Sent afternoon affairs, teas, At Homes, garden par- ties, etc. , are issued in the hostess' name alone.
An engraved invitation form which is easily filled in for any occasion, is found convenient for those who entertain extensively. It is shown on page 38.
The guest's name, the date, hour and enter- tainment are written on the blank lines, and the favor of an answer is requested added if one is anxious for an immediate reply, although such an invitation demands an acceptance or declination within a week.
The letters R.s.v.p. are not used as often
[37]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Invitation
Form
Actual Size
Mr. and Mrs. William Howell Meade request Ike pleasure qf
company at
at-
-o'clock.
512 North End Avenue
as heretofore. They stand for the French words Re'pondez s'il vous plait and should not be capitalized. They are not incorrect — but the favor of an answer is requested seems more elegant.
The afternoon reception invitation which
± itS
'At Home" takes the form of a tea or "At Home," does Card noj- require an answer. One goes, or sends a card at the reception hour if prevented from attending.
The visiting card is quite correctly used for inviting, with the word Bridge, Reading, or
[38]
THE FORMAL INVITATION
Music added, and the day and date at the left corner, thus :
Mrs. James Perry White
December the first
from four until six
Music
Lexington Avenue Morristown
The words At Home or Tea are not used on the card. One may also write on one's calling card: To meet Miss Frances Smith, if Miss Smith is a guest and the tea is given informally in her honor, but an "At Home" which in- cludes a large number of guests requires an engraved invitation form, with To meet Miss Frances Smith added above the hostess' name.
[39]
Actual Size
SOCIAL STATIONERY
The names of the friends who assist a host- ess in receiving do not appear on the engraved card, but if two women combine forces and send a joint invitation, the card appears thus:
Mrs. John Longworth Smylhe Mrs. Hudson Ward Groves
at home
On Tuesday the sixth of October
from four until seven o'clock
Forty-nine West Fifty-second Street
For the ^ new imitation form for bridge, euchre, Card Party etc., has a tiny playing card as a heading, and space lines for filling in the guest's name, day, hour and game.
The formal invitation card measures five bv
Size
three inches, and is enclosed in a single match- ing envelope.
Upon no consideration is a printed invita- tion permissible ; better by far to write to one's
[40]
THE FORMAL INVITATION
guests on good note paper if the expense of engraving must be considered.
The visiting card of a married daughter may be enclosed with a card of invitation.
The dinner dance really demands two forms of invitation, one for the dinner guests, with Dancing after ten in the lower left corner, and a second in the form of an "At Home" card, with the words Dancing at ten for those asked for the cotillion. A card for the large dance reads :
Mr. and Mrs. William Howell Meade request the pleasure of
company on Tuesday evening the twenty-sixth
of December at half after eight o'clock
Five hundred and twelve
North End Avenue Dancing
The word ball is never used except for an [41]
The Dinner Dance
Actual Size
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Assembly or charity dance. Cotillion or Dancing- on the invitation is the proper form for the house reception. The debutante's name appears
below her mother's on the invitation which in- The Debut
troduces her to society. The wording should be :
Mrs, James Hudson Brown Miss Brown
At Home
On Thursday January the fifth
from four until seven o'clock
Eighty -five Fifth Avenue
Invitations for a large reception cover one's entire acquaintance. It is a mistake to exclude persons in mourning. After a short time it gives pleasure to feel they are not forgotten, but it must be understood that they cannot respond.
[42]
THE FORMAL INVITATION
Children's parties must not be overlooked. A charming invitation form with "answer" attached comes ready for filling in. The card is a folder fitting a small envelope. A second larger envelope is addressed for mailing. The guest detaches the "answer," fills it in and remails it in the smaller envelope.
Children' Parties
[43]
WEDDINGS
Wedding Cards
T .. . Lettering
*• HERE IS NO form of stationery so dear to the feminine heart as the wedding card. It piques the interest of every woman, married or single, into whose hands it chances on its travels, and leaves a flutter of delightful ex- pectancy in its wake. The wording, paper, style and engraving of the wedding invitation must be unquestionably correct, or the success of the wedding, from its social side, is marred. The newest lettering embraces the shaded Caxton
the solid French script most pleasing in its clear, distinct character :
^/ICxA. CtUuictm J\xH*>ell ryfCecuXe also a variation of this, the shaded French script :
[4,4]
WEDDINGS
and old English type which is a slight modifi- cation of the early century form, bringing the intricate M and W into stronger outline:
f tm*
Among the types which still retain their popularity are the shaded Old English shown here:
the plain Roman block letter:
the shaded Roman :
and the English Script:
The most approved card for the large church wedding is in shaded Caxton type. See the engraved example which accompanies this book.
[45]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Who Invites You
The Guest's Name
Wedding invitations are issued first in the name of the bride's parents, or in the name of the surviving parent. If the bride is orphaned, the name of a married brother and his wife may be used, a bachelor brother or a married sister and her husband. Failing these, the nearest relative or guardian.
The wording of a church wedding invitation requests the honour of your presence, the English spelling of honour being used.
The home wedding invitation requests the pleasure of your company.
The rank of officers in the regular army or navy above lieutenant is prefixed by full title on invitations. The prefix Mr. is used by lieutenant with rank following, thus : Mr. James Hudson Brown, Lieutenant Eleventh Regiment United States Infantry.
Reverend prefixes a clergyman's name.
The guest's name is written on both invita- tion and reception card, and should correctly be added on the church presentation card as well, but as this necessitates a vast amount of
[46]
WEDDINGS
writing, it is often omitted. A few enterpris- ing women, in some of the larger cities, have taken up the work of filling in the wedding cards and attend also to addressing, stamping and mailing at a nominal charge. This is sure to be an appreciated business.
The church and reception cards are enclosed Enclosed in a heavy matching envelope of white unglazed Cards with the invitation, which is once folded in paper. The envelope is unsealed and bears simply the guest's name without address. A second envelope, addressed, sealed and stamped, carries the card to its destination.
' 'At Home ' ' cards may be enclosed with the wedding invitation, but are not engraved upon it. The card does not show the name, but merely the new address and hour for receiving, as the bride has not taken her married name at the time the cards are sent.
An "At Home" card may be sent separately after the return of the couple, in which case it bears the name of both bride and bridegroom, thus:
[47]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Actual Size
The Pew Number
Mr, and Mrs. William Howell Meade
tdll be at home
after the first of October
at Five hundred and twelve
North End Avenue
Reception and "At Home" cards must not be confused. Both may be enclosed with the wedding invitation, but the first invites one to the reception immediately after the wedding, the second indicates the receiving day of the bride at her new home.
The addition of the pew number on church cards is a happy innovation, greatly simplify- ing the usher's duties in seating the guests. A plan and the seating capacity of the pews are carefully studied before the invitations are addressed, and the placing of each guest is in-
[48]
WEDDINGS
dicated according to relation or intimacy. The late arrival is thus assured of a seat, and there is no occasion for uncomfortable crowding.
Please present this card
al the Second Baptist Church
Main Street corner qf Spruce Street
on Wednesday, the Jifih qf June
Pew number
A wedding invitation is addressed to Mr. and Mrs. James Brown ; another to The Misses Brown, includes the unmarried daughters. It is not necessary to send a card to each member of the household, nor is it correct to add the words and family to the parents' invitation, but a separate card must be sent to each son.
Invitations should be sent to the bride- groom's immediate family.
[49]
Church Card Actual Size
Addressing the Cards
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Answering
Wedding Gifts
The line is drawn between acquaintances and friends by the enclosing of the reception card to the latter.
The church wedding invitation needs no acknowledgment, not even a card. For the home wedding, where an answer is requested, it must follow the invitation wording exactly even to the detail of date and place, and be written in the third person, on the first page of a note sheet. It is addressed to the person who invites you, no matter if an entire stranger.
A card should be sent on the day of the wedding, if one cannot attend, or if the invita- tion includes the reception, at the hour of receiving.
Wedding gifts are addressed to the bride in her maiden name, and should reach her before the day of the wedding. The sender's card is always enclosed.
Gifts are not so obligatory as heretofore, and are hardly sent unless the invitation includes a reception card. The bride must acknowledge all presents herself, writing a graceful, cordial note
[50]
WEDDINGS
of a few lines, and neglecting no gift, however small, before she leaves. Should a gift be delayed, however, until the eleventh hour, or arrive after her departure, she may acknowledge it upon her return, and add a word of apology, showing it was impossible to thank the giver at once.
Wedding silver is marked with the initials of the bride's maiden name, and occasionally, in cases of extreme intimacy, may combine the letters of the last name of bride and bride- groom.
A charming gift to a bride and one sure to be appreciated, is a full set of monogramed paper, from tiny note to letter size; the die cut with the interlaced letters of her new name, and the engraving shown in her favorite color or simple gold.
A second suggestion is the converting of the copper plate from which the invitations are made, into a card tray. This can be arranged through one's stationer after the card order is completed. A narrow copper rim is added to
[51]
Marking and Engraving
Stationery Gift
The Wedding Plate
The Home Wedding
SOCIAL STATIONERY
the plate, and the little tray, bearing the simple wording, becomes a prized possession. It may also appear as a cigar tray, with match box and cigar holder added on the sides. This makes a charming token for the bridegroom.
For the quiet home wedding where only the family or closest friends are asked, the invita- tions may be verbal or written in the name of the bride's parents, or nearest relative. Im- mediately after the ceremony the marriage is announced by an engraved card to all relatives and friends who might have been included at a large wedding.
The card takes the form shown on page 53.
Another form is shown on page 54.
It folds once in a matching envelope, and is addressed in a second envelope for mailing.
[52]
WEDDINGS
The following is a form of announcement for the quiet home wedding, referred to on page 52 :
Major and Mrs. John Masters
announce the marriage qf their daughter
Florence Ethel
to
Mr. Harry William Hunter
on Monday August the fourteenth
nineteen hundred and nine
Boston, Massachusetts
[53]
Actual Size
SOCIAL STATIONERY
The following is another form of announce- ment for the quiet home wedding, referred to on page 52 .
Actual Size
Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Howard have the honour of announcing to
the marriage of their daughter Marion Edith
to
Mr. William Arthur Smythe
on Wednesday the fifth of November
One thousand nine hundred and nine
New York
[54]
WEDDINGS
A home wedding invitation which is a charming variation from the usual formal wording is the following :
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Banning
will give in marriage
their daughter
Margaret
to
Mr. Arthur Frank Warner
Monday afternoon June the sixth
Nineteen hundred and nine
at half past four o'clock The Firs, ' ' Bellethorpe, Connecticut
Your presence is requested [55]
Actual Size
SOCIAL STATIONERY
With the home wedding invitation shown on the foregoing page is enclosed the following ' 'At Home" card:
Actual Size
At Home after October first
"The Oaks" Bellethorpe, Connecticut
[56]
WEDDINGS
When the wedding is the bride's second Second marriage, announcement card quite correctly Marriages omits the parents' name and appears thus :
Doctor Robert Willson
and Mrs. George Chester White
announce their marriage
on Monday the first of August
One thousand nine hundred and nine
at the
Church qf the Ascension
Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street
in the City of New York
[57]
Actual Size
SOCIAL STATIONERY
When Sent
Recalling Cards
The bride's crest at the heading of the in- vitation is quite correctly used, but must be embossed and show no coloring. It is, however, considered somewhat superfluous in America and should certainly never be used unless the bride's family can claim it directly.
For the silver or golden wedding reception, a card bearing the date of marriage and the present year, with the combined monogram of husband and wife, is charmingly attractive.
The engraving for the silver anniversary may show the entire lettering in silver, including monogram, date and wording.
The names of the couple with the wife's maiden name appear at the heading thus :
John Hudson Brown Mary Stewart Smith
Wedding invitations should be issued from two to three weeks before the wedding, and include the bridegroom's relatives and friends, equally with those of the bride.
If for any serious reason the marriage is postponed, the invitations are immediately
[58]
WEDDINGS
recalled by a printed card which briefly states the reason, thus :
Owing to the sudden death of Mr. Charles Hudson's mother, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hud- son beg to recall the cards issued for their daughter's wedding.
The bridegroom never pays for the wedding cards. The bride's parents or family arrange the entire expense of the wedding, with the exception of the bride's flowers, the wedding ring and the minister's fee. At a large wedding where maids and ushers attend, the bridegroom provides gifts for the ushers, their gloves and ties, and arranges for the bridal carriage.
CRANE'S KID FINISH has been found to be the finest surface on which engraving can be done. As such it has long had the sanction of the most exclusive stationers for wedding papers for the most particular people.
Who pays for Wedding Cards
[59]
CARD ETIQUETTE
The Card •**• ^^ °^ pasteboard and a line of script — its insignificance is a snare to the ignorant, a delusion to the misinformed. Milady's visiting card guides her down the social path, and the correct choice in size, shape and kind is of the greatest import.
The quality of the card is a matter which Quality .
the standard stationer may decide. The best
is none too good, for a poor paper speaks its fabric as does a shoddy velvet.
An unglazed card of heavy smoothness bears
the touch of quality between one's fingers, and
its high texture is quickly traced by comparison.
™ , Its shape fluctuates somewhat to taste, but
Size an approved card calls for a medium size. Two
and three-quarters by one and three-quarter
inches is beyond reproach. The type of the
card must show the best engraving, and upon
no consideration be printed.
[60]
CARD ETIQUETTE
A man's card must follow the length and type of his wife's, and measures two and three- quarters by one and one-quarter inches.
Mr. William Howett Meade
Five hundred and twelve North End Avenue
A married woman's card bears her husband's name thus :
Mrs. William Howett Meade
Five hundred and twelve North End Avenue
[61]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
A Widow's Card
Divorced
Woman's
Card
Miss and
A widow may prefer her maiden name, thus : Mrs. Kate Hudson White, but it is considered better form to retain a husband's Christian name. The senior matron of the oldest family branch may inscribe her card : Mrs. Towne.
A divorced woman uses her own name with her husband's, thus : Mrs. Louise Thompson Browne; Thompson being her maiden name. Should she legally reclaim her maiden name her card appears : Mrs. Louise Thompson.
When a young girl enters society her name appears below that of her mother's, thus :
Mrs. James Hudson Brown Miss Brown
on a somewhat larger card.
This continues during her first season, after which she bears a separate card which, if she is the eldest daughter, reads : Miss Brown.
These cards are used when mother and daugh- ter call together. Should the mother call alone, she leaves her personal card.
A daughter is expected to pay calls only in
[62]
CARD ETIQUETTE
company with her mother during her first season. When two sisters enter society together, The Misses Brown is added below their mother's name, or
Miss Brown Miss Francis Brown
A man's calling card always bears the title Mr. , and should show his full name.
A bachelor may have his home or club ad- dress in tiny lettering at the lower right corner of his card.
Mrs. William Howell Meade
Tuesdays
Five hundred and twelve North End Avenue
[63]
Men's Cards
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Titles Doctor
Minister
Card Etiquette
A woman's house address appears at the lower right corner of her card, her ' 'At Home ' ' day at the left. A receiving day never appears on a man's card.
Should a woman use her visiting card as an invitation, she adds the date and hour in writ- ing at the left corner.
Professors do not use their title on their cards. A physician's social card reads either: Dr. Henry Stewart Peters or Henry Stewart Peters, M. D. His professional card bears his address, office hours and telephone number in small script.
A clergyman's card reads: Rev. Thomas D. Loyde.
A married woman leaves one of her own and two of her husband's cards when calling on an- other married woman. A woman never leaves her card for the men of the household. The custom of leaving a large number of cards is quite obsolete. Not more than three is a good rule to follow. One card for the Misses Brown includes the unmarried daughters of the family.
[64]
CARD ETIQUETTE
First calls should be returned within a fort- night, or upon the first ' 'At Home ' ' day.
Who makes the first call is a matter based on the existing social rule of the town or city. In Washington the newcomer calls first, thus choosing her friends. An undesirable acquaint- ance may be dropped after the second visit, but the first call must be returned in person or by an invitation, which stands for a call. If one calls accompanied by a friend who is not on the hostess' calling list, her name is not presented, nor is her chance visit considered a call.
A man, in calling on a friend who is visiting at a house where he is not acquainted, leaves a card also for the hostess, but need not ask for her. She should, however, endeavor to meet him cordially before he leaves the house.
Invitations which mark an especial hour must be acknowledged by note, but those which show a choice of hours, as from four until six, are not answered save by a card sent on the day, or left when one attends. An ' 'At Home ' ' or tea does not require an after call, excepting in
[65]
First Calls
Visitors
Invitation Etiquette
SOCIAL STATIONERY
small cities where it is somewhat of an event, when an after call becomes a courtesy.
If one is unable to accept an invitation, a call must be made within a fortnight. Cards should be left or sent within two weeks to the bride's mother after a wedding announcement or invitation.
T . Cards are not left for each member of the
Leaving
Cards receiving party, one card for each person calling includes all. If, however, the invitation includes the name of a special guest, or is sent in more than one name, extra cards are left.
In sending cards, when the tea is given by more than one, a card is enclosed for each name, and addressed to the one at whose house it takes place.
Cards are not sent on the reception day when the invitation has already been acknowl- edged by note, and are never left at an evening affair.
In calling one's card is handed to the servant who opens the door, but never to one's hostess should she happen to admit you. A husband's
[66]
CARD ETIQUETTE
cards are left on the card tray, not sent up, but are added to the wife's if the hostess is not at home. On an "At Home" day or afternoon tea, cards are not given to the maid, but are left on the card tray in passing.
Mrs. William Howell Meade and Mr. Ernest W. Meade
thank you for your kind expression of sympathy
Sympathy or Condolence written on one's card is sent the day after a death. These cards may be acknowledged, where a large circle of friends and acquaintances exists, by a black- bordered correspondence card, as shown on this page.
The personal notes, however, from intimate friends should be acknowledged by writing.
[67]
Actual Size 41x3
Acknowledg- ing Sympathy
SOCIAL STATIONERY
The width of the border depends largely on taste and one's near relation. The extremely wide band, even on a widow's card, is not con- sidered good form.
Border for both cards and stationery meas- ures one-quarter inch correctly for deepest mourning. The following scale shows the dif- ferent widths of borders employed :
linn
12345 6 7
The rules of mourning are not as strict as in For those ^n
Mourning past years. It is, however, incorrect to make calls or enter formal society within a year after the death of a near relative.
Invitations ma)' be sent within a few months as an act of courtesy to those in mourning.
New cards are not a necessity, as the border can be added at any good stationer's, within a few hours.
[68]
CARD ETIQUETTE
A tiny card, announcing a baby's birth, is tied with a white ribbon to a card showing the mother's and father's names. The small card
Births
Walter Howell Mcade
August 3, 1909
Mr. Sf Mrs. William Howell Meade
Actual Size
has the baby's birth date engraved at the left hand corner. These are sent to all friends of the parents. An engraved birth card is shown at some stationers' ready for filling in and is most quaintly lettered, with touches of pink for a girl and blue for a boy.
[69]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
The following is a reproduction in a smaller size of one such card :
. _. /»<?...
<g>£&wl
Crane's Calling Cards, like Crane's Wed- ding Papers, have never been displaced in the regard of the stationer who engraves for people of taste, because such people have never been so well pleased with anything else.
[70]
YOU— AND YOUR WRITING PAPER
I OU OUGHT to know about writing paper — what it is that makes it fine and good. You ought to be able to select for your own use the paper that becomes you most and that is con- Trained sistent with your social position, just as you Taste select materials for a gown.
You know a piece of good lace when you see it. You know the difference between deli- cate, cobwebby Venetian or Irish Point made by hand and the coarser lace done on a machine. Your taste has been trained by observation and comparison. By the same method you may learn to know good writing paper when you see it, and to care for it, for its own sake.
You can tell why one piece of silk is better than another. You pay more for a Sevres cup than you do for one of stoneware. In all these things you look for quality and adaptability. It is just the same with writing paper.
[71]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Importance of
Knowing
Good
Stationery
The Higher Standard
But it is far more important to know good writing paper when you see it than it is to know these other things. Your self-respect demands that your stationery shall be good enough for you — that it shall faithfully repre- sent your taste — that it shall lend itself to the easy writing of letters.
A good writing paper is one that is in itself a thing of beauty, that is easy to Avrite upon, and that has the shape, size, color and surface that social usage says is the best form.
Such a paper, because of its beauty and appropriateness, makes it easier to write letters. The use of such a paper is the most delicate compliment you can pay to the taste of your friend.
The moment you ask yourself whether the paper you are now using is good enough for a particular letter you have to write, you have recognized a higher standard, both your own and that of your friend.
It is easy for us to tell }rou the name of a paper which meets all requirements, but we
YOU— AND YOUR WRITING PAPER
want to do more than tell you the name. We want to help you appreciate its wonderful beauty, its perfect fitness and its correct form. You will then know not only its name, but also its goodness. Soon you will pick out this good paper unconsciously. You will instinctively compare it with other papers. You will of your own knowledge feel that it is fine, that it has quality, as shown by its texture, color and finish.
The satisfaction of using a good writing paper comes partly from its effect on the eye and partly from its feeling at the touch of a pen.
This gives us three different qualities in ™, T tg writing paper which you are to look at to de- of Writing cide whether or not a paper is really the best — aper what the paper makers call extra " superfine "- the texture, the color and the surface or finish.
Texture is different from finish. A paper may have an absolutely smooth surface and yet have a woven effect when held up to the light. It may have a smooth surface and not be easy to
[73]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
write upon. It may be too smooth. The pen slips so easily that it does not leave a continu- ous line.
Texture is best studied by examining a sheet held to the light. The minute fibres which compose the paper should be so evenly arranged or felted together that the paper is all of one consistency, not mottled or clouded. The art of successful paper-making demands a uniform sheet. And not only uniformity in a single sheet, but each sheet should be exactly like another in texture, finish and color, so that en- velopes, for instance, shall match the paper that goes with them.
Absolutel ^u^ c°l°r *s one °f ^e most important
While Paper things in selecting paper, and especially when that color is the color which is really absence of color — in other words, white.
So many things pass as white that are not white, that few people realize what a real white is. Most whites have in them some color. They shade off toward yellow or blue.
The production of a writing paper that is
[74]
YOU— AND YOUR WRITING PAPER
absolutely white is a very difficult art and de- pends upon a great many things.
In order that you may know what constitutes a good writing paper we are going to tell you something about how the best writing papers are made.
The best writing papers in the world are Made in The made in this country. They are made in western Berkshires Massachusetts, among those mountains which are known everywhere as the Berkshire Hills. The first important paper industry in this country was located here, and practically all of the important paper mills engaged in making the finest writing papers are found here.
This is because the first essential to a white paper is cleanliness — not only cleanliness of air, but also cleanliness of water — and clear, clean air and pure, unsullied water are absolutely es- sential to producing the finest writing papers.
There is one mill in the Berkshires, or rather, a group of mills, which is very important from the paper user's point of view. This is one of the oldest establishments in the country, being
[75]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
over a hundred years old, and for the entire hundred years it has produced the best writing papers made in America, and this means the best writing papers made in the world.
These mills about which we are speaking are known as the CRANE MILLS at Dalton, Mass. It may interest you to know that one of these mills makes the peculiar paper which is used to produce bank notes and government bonds. Whenever you have held a dollar bill to the light you have noticed that it seems to be filled with fine, silk threads. These silk threads are a protection against counterfeit. There is only one way to put these threads in the paper and this is a carefully guarded secret.
The fact that this important undertaking has always been entrusted to the CRANE paper mills is one proof of the unusual care that is used by these mills in making paper of all kinds. The policy, carefulness and experience that produce the nation's currency produce also its fine writing paper.
All high-grade writing papers must be made
[76]
YOU— AND YOUR WRITING PAPER
from some form of cotton and linen cloth. What is required for the fibre of the paper is the long, soft filament found best in the textile plant. The only way to secure these filaments for paper-making is to put them first through the process of being made into cloth. There- fore, all good writing papers are made from rags, but CRANE'S fine writing papers are made only from fresh, clean, white fragments of cloth, such as the trimmings from collars, shirts, muslin and linen dresses and white goods of all sorts. These fragments, although apparently they are perfectly white and in a far better con- dition than the rags collected from the piece bags of the average family, are nevertheless not white enough to produce a perfectly white writ- ing paper. They are thoroughly sorted, cleaned, dusted, and all buttons, hooks and eyes and other hard substances removed. Then they are dusted and beaten again, and washed and washed and washed, and bleached and bleached and bleached, and finally reduced to the fineness of the original filaments of the plant.
[77]
Choicest
Textile
Fragments
Pure Water
Artesian Wells
SOCIAL STATIONERY
These filaments when mixed with water pro- duce a soft, pulpy mass, and this soft, pulpy mass is the basis of writing paper.
It is manifest that if there is anything foreign in the water used in diluting this pulp, it will prevent the production of perfectly white pulp, so the water must be absolutely pure.
To secure this at Dalton they do not depend on the streams which flow through the Berk- shire Hills, clean and pure as they are. They do not depend even upon the springs which at Dalton are singularly pure and clear.
The purest spring may have some sediment, may be stirred up by a falling leaf.
Formerly spring water was used, but in the search for cleaner water, artesian wells were bored, an even cleaner water was found, and CRANE'S papers became perceptibly whiter. To give you some little idea of the importance of water in paper-making, it may be stated that it takes over one hundred gallons of artesian well water to make one pound of CRANE'S LINEN LAWN.
[78]
YOU— AND YOUR WRITING PAPER
This scrupulous searching cleanliness applies not only to the water. It applies to the mills themselves, to the work people and to the air itself. No soft coal is permitted to be burned in Dalton. The mills and all the machinery are spotless as your kitchen.
In paper-making eternal cleanliness is the price of success.
By means of the water the pulp of perfectly Turning into white, soft filaments of cotton is floated into Paper paper. Simply and theoretically put, this pulp flows over a large, flat screen, which is being constantly shaken from side to side, so that the water falls through the screen and the filaments of the pulp are matted or felted together in a sheet.
All the time that this is being done the sheet is also moving forward upon this wire mesh. As the sheet goes forward it gets more and more like paper as more and more of the water drops out, until finally, between rollers, the last drop of water is squeezed out, and the paper is held together, bound, woven or felted into a tight,
[79]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
close, homogeneous fabric, absolutely uniform in color and consistency and perfectly white.
This fine, long, white, beautiful web of paper, put together by the gentle, imperceptible action of the water until no part of it is thicker or thinner, lighter or darker than the other, is cut into sheets as it comes from the paper-making machine.
These sheets consist of nothing but the fine, absolutely white, perfectly felted filaments of the cotton plant.
Tub Sizing Such a sheet, beautiful as it is, could not be written upon as it would act upon the pen like blotting paper. Before it becomes the writing paper that you know, it must be sized. That is, it must be filled with a transparent filling or sizing, the best of which is made from gela- tine, which gelatine is produced from the hides of cattle. When you hear a stationer speak about a sheet of paper as being "animal-sized" or "tub-sized, " you will know that it has been made in the best possible way.
In the finest writing papers each sheet is
[80]
YOU— AND YOUR WRITING PAPER
dipped in a tub of this sizing, and then is hung to dry upon a pole. It is allowed to dry slowly and naturally, which improves the quality of the paper.
This process is called "loft drying. " Every sheet of CRANE'S EXTRA SUPERFINE writing papers is animal-sized and loft-dried.
The sheet of paper is still a natural sheet of paper. It has not yet been finished. The finish, as the stationer understands it, is the way the surface of the paper has been treated. If you will look at a sheet of CRANE'S LINEN LAWN, you will see that its surface resembles the sur- face of a piece of linen. If you will hold a sheet to the light, you will see that it looks exactly like a fine linen handkerchief held up to the light.
This is done by pressing each sheet between pieces of linen cloth so that the fabric surface of the cloth is firmly pressed into the paper. This must be very carefully done to produce the beautiful fabric-finish that is found in CRANE'S LINEN LAWN.
[81]
Loft Drying
Linen Lawn
SOCIAL STATIONERY
Kid Finish Another kind of finish is seen at its best in CRANE'S KID FINISH, which has all the effect to the touch of a fine kid glove. This is done by pressing the sheet between plates of highly- polished steel. Other finishes are obtained in other ways, and are given appropriate names.
The principle of making writing paper is the same everywhere. Wherein the CRANE papers excel is in that every step of the process is taken more carefully and every bit of material used is selected more carefully, and because years of experience have taught better ways of doing these things.
This description has been applied altogether to the making of white papers. Tinted writing papers are made in practically the same way, except that the coloring matter is added to the pulp while it is still wet.
The art of coloring paper is a very delicate one. Rare judgment is required to get a pure and beautiful tint, and again in producing the same color or in matching any particular de- sired shade.
[82]
YOU— AND YOUR WRITING PAPER
Holding a sheet of paper to the light to Crater-mark examine it is not only the best way to deter- mine its quality, but it is also the way to see the water-mark, which is the sure way of identi- fying any paper of any particular make.
All of the CRANE papers are water-marked "CRANE'S," and in addition some of them have the name p of the particular LRAHLJ paper. For instance, \) \JThff LlNEft CRANE'S DISTAFF LINEN not only has I/O/
these Words in the (Water-mario
water-mark, but also a reproduction of the old- fashioned distaff, which is the characteristic trade mark of this particular paper.
CRANE'S papers are made in quite a large number of finishes and also in quite a large number of kinds, all of which are good, in good taste and correct.
The great demand for a fabric-finished paper has given unusual popularity to CRANE'S LINEN
[83]
SOCIAL STATIONERY
LAWN, so that today it is the most widely used fine writing paper.
Not everyone prefers a fabric-finished paper, nor is it necessary in order to be in good taste that you should use such a finish.
(Water -mark for Crane's Linen Lawn)
Linen Lawn Tints
For Wedding
CRANE'S LINEN LAWN is made not only in white — and in the case of white, the white is actually white — but there are many beautiful tints for those who care for tinted paper.
CRANE'S KID FINISH is the same paper as is Invitations used in the best wedding invitations. It is made either in white or a very delicate and almost im- r\| D |~ I N I on
perceptible shade of 1908
gray, known as Pearl (watermark)
Gray.
[84]
CRANES
YOU— AND YOUR WRITING PAPER
1908
(Water-mark)
CRANE'S PARCHMENT VELLUM is almost as smooth as CRANE'S KID FIN- ISH, but it suggests more par- ticularly the peculiar and well-known surface of vellum.
CRANE'S SATIN FINISH is even smoother than the KID FINISH.
A very beautiful paper, and one that is very popular with people who like the old- time, hand-made papers, is CRANE'S EARLY ENGLISH. The only way to describe this is to say that it resembles a hand-made paper.
CRANE'S DISTAFF LINEN is a linen paper. "Linen" in this case means a finish which we have come to recognize as the linen-finish, and is characterized by the perpendicular lines about three-quarters of an inch apart, giving it the antique effect that is often found in old papers used for printing.
[85]
(Water-mark)
Parchment Vellum
Early
English
Linen
Distaff Linen
SOCIAL STATIONERY
~ , CRANE'S BOND PAPER is world-famous and is
White used by high-class corporations for bonds and
Bond certificates of stock they issue. For those who
desire a paper of medium thickness and strong
fibre for social or business correspondence there
is nothing better. For foreign correspondence
especially it is most desirable.
[86]
INDEX
I N D E X
Addressing, a bishop, 21 ; clergyman, 21; congressman, 21; a divorced woman, 24; doctor of divinity, 21; formal, 20; friends, 19; governor, 21; judge, 21; mayor, 21; offi- cers of army and navy, 46; the President, 20; professional men, 20; professional women, 24; senator, 21; the Vice- President, 20; wives of profes- sional men, 24.
Answering the letter, 19.
At Home, invitations for, 38; cards, 56.
Jjook-marks, 16.
Borders on writing papers, 6.
Business letters, 22.
Calling Cards, acknowledging invitations, 65; births, 69; condolences, 67; divorced woman's, 62; for invitations, 64; home address, 63, 64; leav- ing, 62, 64 ; a married woman's, 61; a man's, 61, 63; Miss and Misses, 62; mourning, 68; shape and size, 60; titles, 64; a widow's, 62.
Calls, 65.
Cards, At Home, 47, 56; an- nouncement of birth, 69; for correspondence, 15; to accom- pany gifts, 15; introduction by, 29.
Card Party, invitation for, 40.
Children's Parties, invitation for, 43.
Condolence, letters of, 34.
Congratulation, letters of, 32.
Correspondence Cards, 15; for acknowledging sympathy, 67.
Crane's Calling Cards, 70.
Crane's Papers, Bond, 86; Distaff Linen, 83, 85; Early English Linen, 85; Kid Finish, 59, 82, 84; Linen Lawn, 81, 83; Parchment Vellum, 85.
.iJance, invitation for, 32. Debut, the, 42.
Dinner dance, invitation for, 41. Dinner invitation, 31. Directions for guests, 11.
jLngagements, announcement of,
35. Envelopes, 5.
1* orm of address, 19. Formal address, 20.
Foreign correspondence paper, 4; envelopes, 5.
-Home dinner, invitation for, 32. Honorable, whom to address as,
21. House address on letter paper,
10, 11, 12. House party, invitation for, 30.
Introduction by card, 29; by letter, 27.
Invitations, for At Homes, 38; bride's shower, 36; card party, 40; children's party, 43; small dance, 32; dinner, 31; dinner dance, 41; engraved form for receptions, dinners, etc., 38; home dinner, 32; house party, 30; joint, 40; letters of, 30; theatre party, 31 ; weddings, 44; when to be sent, 37.
Letters of acceptance, 30; con- dolence, 34; introduction, 27; invitation, 30; regret, 30.
Letter-writing, the essence of a good letter, 18; the address^ 26; closing, 25; date, 26; fold- ing, 26; order of pages, 25.
JVlarried women, use of title by,
23. Monograms, 7.
Mourning, acknowledging sym- pathy, 67; borders for cards and stationery, 68.
1 lace cards, 13. R.s.v.p., 37.
ohower for bride-elect, 36. Signatures, 23.
1 ablets, monogramed, 13. Theatre party, invitations for, 31. Third person, use of, 21. Typed letters, 23.
Unmarried women, use of title by, 24.
Wedding gifts, 50.
Wedding Invitations, acknowl- edging, 50; addressing, 49; At Home cards, 47, 56; bride's crest, 58; church weddings, 46; church and reception cards, 47, 49; enclosed cards, 47; golden wedding, 58; guest's name, 46; home wed- ding, 52; lettering, 44; paper for, 59; pew number, 48; re- calling, 58; reception cards, 47, 48; second marriages, 57; silver wedding, 58; by whom issued, 46; when sent, 58; who pays for, 59.
UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY
A 000126254 2
University of California
SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY
405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388
Return this material to the library
from which it was borrowed.
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ecfical Lib
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rary
THIS pocket contains a com- plete wedding invitation just as it comes from the en- graver. The wedding paper is CRANE'S KID FINISH with cards and envelopes to match. It shows an example of the best engraving, showing both the most fashionable letter and the most approved word- ing and arrangement. A wedding invitation following this model will be absolutely correct.
THIS pocket also contains a diagram of the sizes of Crane writing papers and envelopes.
Univei
Sot
Li