History Bytes: Party Invitations

May 28, 2013
Invitation from the Newport Historical Society’s collection of invitations, calling cards and dinner menus

Invitation from the Newport Historical Society’s collection of invitations, calling cards and dinner menus

Memorial Day has passed and we are moving into the summer party season. Engraved invitations from the Gilded Age were short and sweet, and often amounted to a summons. Caroline Astor’s party at her Fifth Avenue home started at ten o’clock on a cold Monday night in January. The Brown’s party at Harbour Court was a little more manageable on a warm summer afternoon.