Gossip from the Table of 1882

Craftsmanship and innovative, artistic design flourished in England, Europe and the United States, between the 1860’s and early 1900’s. These patents for glassware designs are all from the period. — “Very pretty pieces of glass are now in the leading stores for ‘odd’ pieces on a dinner table. They are in Sèvres glass, amber or blue in color, and are enameled and raised designs or gilt in relief. The shapes are specially novel and attractive.”

 

Tabletop Novelties and Trends

The newest ice cream plates are of Bohemian glass with little handles. The shape is something between an oval and a square. Others are in china, cream-colored ground, with guilt edges, and shaped like a full size grape leaf.

Very pretty pieces of glass are now in the leading stores for “odd” pieces on a dinner table. They are in Sèvres glass, amber or blue in color, and are enameled and raised designs or gilt in relief. The shapes are specially novel and attractive.

In spite of the attempt to introduce color into the table-cloth, preference in the highest circles is still given to fine white damask, but occasionally the cloths are trimmed with lace edging.

Exquisite dessert plates are in the richest Dresden china, with deep-toned centers and open-worked edges. The designs are so beautiful, that doylies are not used with them.

Single vases for each guest are no longer so popular as they were for dinner tables. The more fashionable style to-day is a central globe either of deeply cut crystal or a Bohemian glass, which rests upon a polished mirror. Some of these globes are mounted upon deep Crystal trays, thus providing a second receptacle for the flowers. Four corner pieces are sold with the globes, either for a continuous design around the center or for the ends of the table.

Some very fashionable people dispense with flowers at the dinner table entirely. In fact, they are all together lesson favor for the festive occasions then they were, probably because they are so much in request at interments. — The New York Times, 1882

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia