Tag Archives: Victorian era

The Tokens and Customs of Love

There is something beautiful about the old style rituals and formalities of paying court and delving into the love and romance of other times. For example, during the Victorian years, a primary requirement for marriage was romantic love and because this was so important – the act of courtship developed into an art form and it was very important for every part of the rituals to be observed. For example, if a man wished the company of a lady, he would present her with his card. As the evening progressed, she would study the cards of the men who presented … Continue reading →

Flowers in the Home? An Old Thought

Although people have enjoyed the beauty of cut flowers in their homes for hundreds of years, the flora found on dining tables wasn’t always of the garden variety. In seventeenth and eighteenth century France, for example, real blooms were thought to be too rustic and uncultured to be placed indoors. (After all, they had never even been to one opera, much less went to college). Flowers made from beads and feathers often adorned tables, sideboards and consoles. It wasn’t until the Victorian era of the late nineteenth century that real flowers came into vogue. Like everything of the period, the … Continue reading →