Dance card
A dance card is a card on which the visitor to a formal dance ball can enter her dance partner for the individual dances of the evening. The decorated cards are specially made for this occasion by the host or sponsor of the event and given to the ladies at the entrance - usually together with a ladies donation .
Appearance
The classical dance card has the format of a greeting card . The outside is decorated, usually with the host's insignia or the sponsor's logo. On the inside there is a list of all the music pieces of the evening with the information about dance, title and composer and a free space in each case, in which the dance partners of the lady can enter themselves.
history
Dance cards apparently originated in the 18th century and enjoyed great popularity at the balls of the 19th century into the 20th century, especially the carnival balls in Vienna. Since then, with the change in the purpose of the ball donation , the importance of the dance card has been lost.
Web links
- More examples of dance cards from the early 20th century University of Houston Digital Library