Newly married couples frequently send out for their first cards the largest size mentioned engraved thus:
Mr. and Mrs. Holman B. Hunt.
Occasionally they preserve this custom throughout the entire first season. But this is all; from thenceforth husband and wife have their own separate cards. They may, however, be used at times throughout the married life to convey messages of sympathy, congratulation, or to accompany gifts.
Widows have always hesitated about exchanging the beloved and accustomed name upon their cards for their own signature. This, however, in many cases, is a necessity, especially where there is a son bearing the father’s name. This is sometimes thought to be avoided by the use of the distinctive “Senior” or “Junior,” a custom obviously wrong, since after the death of Francis Brown, Senior, Francis Brown, Junior, becomes at once Francis Brown, and his wife, Mrs. Francis Brown. Hence, while we have no such convenient title as “Dowager,” the widowed Mrs. Francis Brown will be obliged to drop her husband’s name in favor of her son’s wife and thenceforth appear before the world as Mrs. Mary E. Brown. Where there are no children, or immediate relatives, change of title on the part of the widow is a mere matter of sentiment.
The black border upon a widow’s cards should never be over a quarter of an inch in depth: more than this savors of ostentation rather than affliction.
Young ladies, especially if it is their first season in society, will find it the best form to have their names engraved upon the visiting card of their mother. Thus, if it is the eldest daughter:
Mrs. Wilfrid Ferguson.
Miss Ferguson.
If a younger daughter:
Mrs. Wilfrid Furguson.
Miss Ethel Furguson.
And if it should chance that two daughters “come out” in consecutive seasons both of their names are frequently engraved upon their mother’s card, thus: