You're Invited: A Century of American Printed Invitations and Tickets (1810 to 1912)

United States, 1912. Very good. Minor flaws including toning, light dust soiling, letter folds or closed short tears.. A collection of one hundred twenty-two (122) printed invitations and tickets spanning the years 1810 and 1912, charting a century of social events in America ranging from masquerade balls to sleigh rides, picnics, and calico hops. 80% of the invites are from the 1850s-1880s with an equal representation in those decades. Provides valuable insight into the social complexion of America during this period, including what people valued and celebrated with one another, such as Independence Day and anniversary milestones (note the Wood anniversary party invitation made out of real wood). Also provides a nice sampling of 19th century printing processes, and shows new processes like electrotype emerging, while also reinforcing how copper or steel engraved invitations never go out of style. Would be an ideal collection for a class of history of the book students to start to learn identifying processes with “close looking”. Occasionally the publisher is listed, which provides interesting information about who was offering jobbing printing when. Note also when printing motifs are repeated; two stereotyped ball invitations from 1854 and 1855 utilize the same engraved border, despite being for events in completely different states. This shows that the printer(s) reused the borders and decorative elements for such projects, as well as how adaptable stereotyping was as a process (Invite nos. 23 and 24). The most common event types represented here are balls and parties, with roughly 40 invites each, followed distantly by picnics at 5, receptions at 4, festivals at 4, and a smattering of others including parades, socials, open houses, fundraisers and even a sleigh ride. Americans, it turns out, love a good costume, so it is not unusual to find an invitation asking attendees to dress up (e.g. dress up as a “bum” for the “Hard Times Party” in 1889). Another important takeaway from the collection is the prevalence of fundraisers and benevolent giving events. Such events were often hosted by women’s clubs in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and provide insight into the prevalent issues of the day (e.g. one invite is for an 1878 “Promenade Sociable for the Relief of Yellow Fever Sufferers of the South”, held in Cortland, New York). Overall, a compact but impactful collection with points of interest for both scholars of social history and printing history.

A full listing of the invitations, with physical descriptions, is available on request.