Miss Helen Holmes
12 West Street
CARDS FOR WIDOWS
A widow is privileged to retain her husband's Christian name on her card if she wishes, unless her eldest son is married and bears the full name of his deceased father. In this case, of course, there would be confusion, and it is much wiser for her to have her cards engraved with her own Christian and middle names, in this manner: "Mrs. Lucille May Hopkins." If there is no reason for her to drop her husband's Christian and middle names after his death, she may sign herself: "Mrs. Henry Waltam Hopkins."
At the present time, it is good form for the woman who has been divorced to use her maiden surname with the surname of the divorced or deceased husband, dropping all Christian names. Thus a woman whose maiden name was Harris would have her cards engraved "Mrs. Harris Smith" if she is divorced from her husband. The name, even if she resumes her full maiden name, should be prefixed by "Mrs.," never by "Miss." A widow should avoid following the style prescribed for a divorced woman, since it is likely to cause embarrassing ambiguity.
It is fully permissible for a widow to revive her maiden name after several years of widowhood. The divorced woman, however, may not use her maiden name on her cards until there has been a legal annulment of her marriage, in which case, as was stated above, she uses it with the title "Mrs.," not "Miss."
THE YOUNG LADY'S CARD
When a young lady has been formally introduced to society by her mother, she uses for her first year of calls, cards that bear her name below that of her mother. She assumes a private card only when she is no longer a débutante. The joint card, as it is called, should be larger in size than the card her mother ordinarily uses, and the young lady's Christian and middle names should be used unless she is the eldest daughter of the family. A model card appears below:
Mrs. Robert Cole
Miss Jean Evelyn Cole
Tuesdays South Street
When mother and daughter pay calls together, this one card serves for both. But when the daughter makes calls alone, she runs a pencil line lightly through her mother's name—unless, of course, she is merely leaving cards and not making formal calls. The mother does not use the double card when calling alone, unless she is leaving cards for herself and her daughter. Very often the double card, with the name of mother and daughter, is used even after the daughter has emerged from her débutanteship, when both are visiting together. In less formal society the daughter has her own card bearing only her name, with or without title, which she uses whenever the occasion demands it, and in many instances, even when she makes her début she has a card of her own which she uses instead of or in addition to the one which she shares with her mother.
When daughters make their début in society at the same time, the name of the mother appears nearest the top, as before, directly below it is "Miss Cole" for the eldest daughter, and below that "Miss Edna Cole" for her younger sister. The form "The Misses Cole" may also be used when there are two or three daughters. The joint card is used to announce the address and at-home day, at the beginning of the season; but it is also used when the ladies of a family send a wedding gift with their card, when they send flowers to an invalided friend or when they make calls of condolence or congratulation together.