“When are you going to pay the old lady for your last week’s washing?”
I blame Gail Carriger for having lost nearly my entire day to obsessing over Acquaintance Cards. She made mention of them on her Book of Faces, and I oh-so-innocently clicked the link, which took me to Vintage Everyday, a rather delightful blog, in which I landed directly on a dangerously addictive page. I share the link with some trepidation, knowing I will be, in effect, hurling you down the same rabbit hole that consumed my day. Brace yourself. Here it comes. Vintage Acquaintance Cards from the Mid-20th Century. (UPDATE: Alas, this page has vanished, and I cannot locate it in the site any longer.)
For more information about Acquaintance and Calling Cards, assuming you have any day left, please visit May I See You Home? 19th Century Calling Cards Guaranteed to Score You a Date
I’ve now amassed quite the collection of Acquaintance Cards on my Pintrest site. Again, I blame Gail Carriger for the fact that nothing else got done today while I admired these tiny bits of pasteboard art, and wondered how many successful unions may have come from the use of them. Indeed… am I here on this earth today thanks to a rougish acquaintance card promising that The Sofa Holds Just Two?
In closing, I share two examples of a rather mysterious sort of calling card. I do not understand the meaning of this phrase, and will not sleep well until I do! This discussion at Ask MetaFilter attempts to solve the mystery as well, and presents some interesting theories. If you know more about this strange expression, this reporter would appreciate your commentary.
