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Dance Cards

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 31/6/52

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of dance cards from events spanning the years 1903 - 1935. The majority of dance sponsors were fraternities and sororities. However, there are also dance cards from Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Prom in addition. There are a few duplications of events.

The cards show the name of the organization, the date and location of the dance. Some cards list the dances by name, while others provide just the number of each dance. Other information revealed by the cards includes mottoes, song lyrics, and names of committee members. Most of the cards have retained their cords, but only one or two still have their pencils attached.

Oversize dance cards are contained in a separate folder on top of the cards in Box 2. This folder also contains a small card, apparently used by dance chaperones, to discreetly distribute to immodest dancers as a warning.

Dates

  • 1903-1935, 1944-1949

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on use of the materials in the department for research; all patrons must comply with federal copyright regulations.

Biographical / Historical

In the first decades of the twentieth century, formal dances comprised a significant component of the social life of Northwestern University students. Behavior at these formals followed relatively strict rules of etiquette. Gentlemen could solicit dances from any of the young ladies present; however, the young women were allowed the privilege to either accept or decline any solicitations they wish. Once a gentleman’s request was accepted, however, the young lady had to honor her promise. To keep track of her engagements, the woman recorded the name of her promised partner in her dance card. These small booklets, usually attached to a cord she could wear on her wrist, listed the evening's scheduled program with a space next to each dance where the partner's name could be penciled in. The young men also carried dance cards. Although the dance cards served the practical purpose of reminding the dancers of their schedule, they were also a decorative souvenir of the event. The covers were fabricated from paper, cardboard, leatherette, wood, metal, or celluloid. Hand-decorated or printed, embossed or otherwise embellished with the logo of the organization, the cards reflect the prevailing styles of the era. Although the cards very seldom show the names of the women who carried them, they furnish useful information about student activities and dance trends and document a social form that endured over the course of several decades.

Extent

2.00 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection consists of dance cards from events spanning the years 1903 - 1935. The majority of dance sponsors were fraternities and sororities. However, there are also dance cards from Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Prom in addition.

Arrangement Note

The cards are separated according to the sponsor student organization for a given dance. The organizations are then arranged alphabetically and for each separate organization the dance cards are arranged chronologically. If only one card exists for a particular event, it is filed in the general file for that letter of the alphabet.

Method of Acquisition

This collection is comprised of four accessions: a collection of dance cards transferred from the Evanston Historical Society as part of Accession #99-60 in March 1999; dance cards boxed as Accession #74-30, from the University Archives' holdings; dance cards were separated from Accession #06-173 in November, 2006; and dance cards were separated from Accession #07-85, which was transferred to the University Archives by the Northwestern University Alumni Association on July 16, 2007.

Separated Materials

A few items and cards not related to Northwestern University events were separated and returned to the Evanston Historical Society.

Other Descriptive Information

In the first decades of the twentieth century, formal dances comprised a significant component of the social life of Northwestern University students. Behavior at these formals followed relatively strict rules of etiquette. Gentlemen could solicit dances from any of the young ladies present; however, the young women were allowed the privilege to either accept or decline any solicitations they wish. Once a gentleman's request was accepted, however, the young lady had to honor her promise.

To keep track of her engagements, the woman recorded the name of her promised partner in her dance card. These small booklets, usually attached to a cord she could wear on her wrist, listed the evening's scheduled program with a space next to each dance where the partner's name could be penciled in. The young men also carried dance cards.

Although the dance cards served the practical purpose of reminding the dancers of their schedule, they were also a decorative souvenir of the event. The covers were fabricated from paper, cardboard, leatherette, wood, metal, or celluloid. Hand-decorated or printed, embossed or otherwise embellished with the logo of the organization, the cards reflect the prevailing styles of the era. Although the cards very seldom show the names of the women who carried them, they furnish usefu1 information about student activities and dance trends and document a social form that endured over the course of several decades.

Processing Information

Kate Mazurek, May 11, 1999.

Title
Guide to the Dance Cards
Author
Kate Mazurek
Date
11/05/1999
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Library Details

Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository

Contact:
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635