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| “And oh! by the way, society has had a laugh this Winter at some ultra-important women who have had butlers and footmen serve the tea. It's not good form at all. The servants are in attendance at the tea table to change the spirit lamps, replenish, and assist the ladies who preside in any needed way, but to hand the tea, never!” |
“There has been a demand for Empire gowns at teas this Winter. I have assisted in receiving at a number, and have invariably been asked to wear such a toilet. The receiving party arrange their gowns to harmonize, of course. I poured tea yesterday afternoon at a place, and for fun I tried to count how many cups were taken from my hand.
“And oh! by the way, society has had a laugh this Winter at some ultra-important women who have had butlers and footmen serve the tea. It's not good form at all. The servants are in attendance at the tea table to change the spirit lamps, replenish, and assist the ladies who preside in any needed way, but to hand the tea, never!
“But to get back to my tea statistics. I poured over 200 cups of tea alone, and the other women serving chocolate and bouillon seemed equally busy: of that number not one cup had cream in it. Many took sugar, and everybody took lemon and cordial or rum; some asked for more cordial than I at first put in.
“But to get back to my tea statistics. I poured over 200 cups of tea alone, and the other women serving chocolate and bouillon seemed equally busy: of that number not one cup had cream in it. Many took sugar, and everybody took lemon and cordial or rum; some asked for more cordial than I at first put in.
“The fashionable cordial for tea this Winter is Kirschwasser, and it is served either in the tiny cordial cups or ladled in spoonfuls in a cordial spoon of Norwegian enamel. The tea caddies are lower than have been used heretofore, and a Russian one of silver and gold inlaid is most esteemed.
Low, flaring tea cups, very small, are oftenest seen, some holding as little as an after-dinner coffee oup. There are fewer flowers at teas, too, and, except for the musicians screened by palms and other potted plants, the florist has not been in much demand for these affairs. Many society women are noted for some specialty at their teas, as Mrs. Robert Roosevelt, whose chocolate is famous, with its dash of sherry, and Mrs. Butterfield, whose clam broth is incomparable.
“Punches have been revived this year. They fell rather into disfavor since a few seasons ago, when it was whispered that punches offered at teas at some houses were too strong for women’s heads. But they have been offered this season, and all tea has its dash of something.”– New York Times, 1893
Low, flaring tea cups, very small, are oftenest seen, some holding as little as an after-dinner coffee oup. There are fewer flowers at teas, too, and, except for the musicians screened by palms and other potted plants, the florist has not been in much demand for these affairs. Many society women are noted for some specialty at their teas, as Mrs. Robert Roosevelt, whose chocolate is famous, with its dash of sherry, and Mrs. Butterfield, whose clam broth is incomparable.
“Punches have been revived this year. They fell rather into disfavor since a few seasons ago, when it was whispered that punches offered at teas at some houses were too strong for women’s heads. But they have been offered this season, and all tea has its dash of something.”– New York Times, 1893
Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia
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