The Favorite Bonbon for 1904

“Upon returning to the drawing-room the gentlemen should never cluster round the door, but join the ladies at once, striving to repay the hospitality of the hostess by making themselves as agreeable as possible to the guests. And none but a low-bred clown will ever carry fruit or bon-bons away from the table!” – Above, a Gilded Age, sterling bonbon scoop or bonbon server, for serving sweets — Bonbon- 1796, from the French “bon-bon“ (17th century), childish reduplication of bon “good,” hence “bonbonnière” (1818), “a box for sweets.”

One of the favorite bonbons for dinner this Winter, is an odd but delicious mixture of English walnuts and violets. The walnuts form the interior of the confection, and they are covered with a thick paste of violets. They are quite ornamental, very popular, and, of course, exceedingly expensive. — New York Times, 1904

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