Calling Card Case and Cards

From Fairfield Museum

Textile, leather, paper

3 1/2" H X 2 1/4" W Measurement Notes: Closed: 3 1/2 H x 2 1/4”W
3 1/2" H X 4 1/2" W Measurement Notes: Open: 3 1/2" H x 4 1/2" W

Instead of dropping a text or leaving a voicemail, people in the 19th century often left a card after a social visit, to express condolences, or to convey thanks. These cards were literally a way to say: “I was here.”  If the recipient was not available, then the cards could be left in a tray in the home’s entrance hall. These t  Trays of cards were often displayed as a way of demonstrating one’s social network - a precursor to Facebook. Intricate social rules governed the exchange of calling cards. and the visits they required, which continued to be They were an important way to establish or strengthen social ties among elite families. This case, covered in Chinese silk brocade, contains cards from three sisters: Lillian, Mary, and Florence Burr of Greens Farms.   
 

Gift of the estate of Catherine B. Burr

Accession/ID Number 1986.12.129

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