“The Habits of Good Society” – Etiquette and Entertaining at Home

Living History with Julia Tredwell

Saturday, April 23, 12:00 to 4:00 pm

At the Merchant’s House Museum

Please visit the official site for additional information…

It’s 1858 and 25-year-old Tredwell daughter Julia is receiving visitors in the front parlor. New York women in the 19th century maintained friendships and other social connections through the elaborate ritual of formal visiting – or “calling” – and in order to participate, everyone was expected to know the rules.

When do you make a personal call, and when can you leave a calling card? How soon should you pay a “party call” after attending a ball or formal dinner? How do you know when a family is ready to receive visitors after mourning a death? What is a “sociable”? Come pay Julia a call and find out how she and other young women in 19th century New York navigate the ins and outs of fashionable society.

Included with regular admission. 19th century attire encouraged.