1878 Decorum:A Practical Treatise on Etiquette & Dress of the Best American Society

Etiquette, manners and social norms were of prime importance to socially conscious Victorian ladies and gentleman. Numerous guides to proper behavior were published for ladies, however DECORUM: A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON ETIQUETTE & DRESS OF THE BEST AMERICAN SOCIETY published in 1878 by J.A. Ruth & Co., Chicago was the bible for the etiquette and social norms of the 1880’s. It was the most comprehensive resource of all things pertaining to Victorian life and customs and was considered the foremost in instruction for young ladies of its time.

This copy of DECORUM is a first edition. It is without a dust jacket, as issued, and was “sold only by subscription” as noted on the title page. The book measures 5 ½” x 7 ¾”. It is a hard cover volume, royal blue cloth over boards with gilt titles and decoration on the front cover and spine and blind stamping on the back cover. A chromolitho portrait of a lovely lady is in center arch on the front cover. Interesting, different lovely lady chromolithos were on each copy of the volumes that I saw while doing research. This chromolitho is of a brown-haired woman wearing a white floral hat and sky-blue scarf over her white dress. The book has chocolate brown endpapers. There are 352 pages with twenty-five chapters devoted to everything from Entrance into Society, Washington (for Presidential invitations!), Dinner Parties and Balls, Street Etiquette and Funerals to Letter Writing, Courtship and Marriage, Dress and Toilette Recipes. Inside the book is a 4”x2½”calligraphed card from the era, “OBEY YOUR PARENTS”, and two pressed leaves. The book belonged to “Albert Page/ Ellerton(?), MD“ as pencilled on the front endpaper.

The volume is in very good condition with a tight spine and clean but uniformly toned pages. There are several points to note. The front and back cover corners are bumped and rubbed. The cover edges are rubbed as are the ends of the spine. The back cover is scratched. The front cover has a white spot. Please examine the photos and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

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