A woman who is personally distinguished, who occupies a high social position, or whose husband stands at the head of his family, may have only "Mrs. Barnaby," not "Mrs. John Barnaby," upon her cards. It is better, however, not to do so unless one has the indisputable right to be considered as the Mrs. Barnaby of the locality. It is customary for the wife of the oldest brother of the oldest branch of the family alone to have the privilege of this form.
The same rule of precedence applies to single women. The oldest unmarried daughter of the oldest brother, and she alone, has the right to use "Miss Campbell" on her card, although she may have a cousin who is much older than herself, but who is the daughter of a younger brother of the same family.
A widow has no cards during her year of mourning, as she makes no formal visits. After that, cards with black border to any depth desired may be used.
A widow has no legal right to retain her husband's Christian name, but she often prefers to do so, and it is entirely proper, the question being one of sentiment alone. In case there is a married son of the same name as the father, then it is proper for the mother to put "Sr." for Senior, at the end of her name, should she desire still to retain her husband's Christian name.
In such a case widows occasionally prefer to use their own names or initials.
In this country a married woman merges her name with that of her husband. It is not uncommon nowadays for married women to sign their own Christian name, their maiden surname, and their husband's surname as their signature. There is value in this as it preserves the family identity of the married woman, but the question of its legality may always be raised.
The name of daughter or daughters is often engraved below that of the mother on her card, before the young woman enters formally into society. The form "The Misses Smith" may be used, or the names given separately. In New York in some circles the débutante is not given a separate card until she has been in society a year. As American schoolgirls often have a card with the prefix "Miss," the débutante may use this among her girl friends.
To write anything on an engraved card except "Condolences," "Congratulations," "P. p. c.," is not considered good style, although a lady may use her visiting card with "Five o'clock tea," "Music," or a special date written upon it as an informal invitation to a musical or "At Home."
A business or professional woman may have, in addition to her society card, a card with her own name for business purposes. This usually has a word or two denoting her profession in the lower left-hand corner, and her business address in the lower right.
A lady's card should always contain her home address in the lower right-hand corner. Her afternoon "At Home" is usually given in the lower left.