Party Themes from Yesteryear

Vintage Parties and Menus

In the years before mass-market decorations, people with money and time could get very creative with their partying. In this post I put together a few highlights from parties I found in books and magazines from 1905 - 1907. I tried to keep most of the original wording, but have edited a bit for clarity. Keep in mind that these party ideas were thought of before certain things became commonplace, like electricity and amazon marketplace. Some of these ideas are magical, but some of them are just, um, weird.
*Photo Credits at bottom of the page.

1. In Shakespeare's Honor

Taken from Dame Curtsey's Book of Novel Entertainments for Every Day in the Year, 1907.

April 23 is generally conceded to be the birthday of the illustrious bard of Avon. This affords the hostess an opportunity of giving a delightful dinner, luncheon, or evening party in his memory.

Photographs with excellent views of Stratford-upon-Avon, the houses occupied by Shakespeare, Mary Arden, and Anne Hathaway will make good place cards or invitation cards. The guests may be asked to come in Shakespearean costume, or if that is not practicable, each one may wear some article indicative of a character or the title of a play.

The menu, written on purple cardboard with gold ink, may be a copy of the following, which was used by a club that had devoted the winter to the study of some special plays; this was the feast served at the last meeting:

MENU
"This treasure of an oyster," ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
"Expect spoon-meat," COMEDY OF ERRORS
"That sort was well fished for," THE TEMPEST
"What's this? Mutton?" THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
"I have here a dish of doves," MERCHANT OF VENICE
"The queen of curds and cream," WINTER'S TALE
"Thou art all ice, thy kindness freezeth," KING RICHARD III
"The daintiest last, to make the end most sweet," KING RICHARD II
"Monarch of the vine," ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

As the courses appeared they were: oysters, clear soup, spring lamb, squabs, cheese soufflé, ice cream, bonbons, wine, and then coffee.

A suitable quotation may be written on each place card and the guests should try to guess which play they were from. To the person guessing the most correct answers, a copy of William Winter's "Shakespeare's England" might be given, or a framed copy of one of the many lovely Stratford-upon-Avon pictures.

"My first is good meat, with eggs a good dish; My second allow, or permit, if you wish," - HAMLET

2. Pink Luncheon

Taken from Mrs. Rorer's Every Day Menu Book, 1905.

This luncheon celebrates the color pink. Use mats of white linen embroidered in pink conventional roses. The china should be white and pink. The centerpiece should hold a large bunch of pink roses. The rolls should be tied in napkins with pink ribbon.

MENU Chicken Bouillon           Rolls Creamed Fish in Ramekins Broiled Chicken, Cream Sauce Panned Mushrooms Shrimp Salad         Toasted Crackers Chocolate Parfait Coffee

3. Electric Trains

Taken from What to Eat, 1907.

Recently a host famed for his luxurious dinners, used a miniature electric railroad train of several cars carrying cigars and liquors and running on a track laid upon the dining table. The cars were drawn by a model steam locomotive driven by a small electric motor. The current was obtained from a third rail and the switch controlling the train's movements was operated by the host or his butler.

4. A Baby Dinner

Taken from What to Eat, 1907.

At a baby dinner given by a New York hostess recently the men wore knickerbockers (short pants) and the women were dressed like babies.

One young lady dressed as very young baby entered the parlor sitting in a perambulator (old term for a stroller), wheeled by a friend in the guise of a nurse. After the dinner, which consisted of bread and milk and other childish edibles, the guests amused themselves by playing with mechanical toys, wheeling hoops over the floor, and dragging toy woolly lambs and wooden horses about the rooms. After tiring of these diversions the entire company sang juvenile songs and played games.

5. An Orange Reception

Taken from What to Eat, 1907.

For your evening reception an orange party would be appropriate. The color scheme, of course, being yellow. (I don't know why the author believed an orange party should be decorated using the color yellow. If you know the answer, let me know in the comments.)

The hostess and those who help her receive, could if desired wear becoming yellow gowns, and adorn the hair with yellow rosettes. Each guest upon arrival may be presented with a yellow rosette similar to that worn by the hostess. The electric lights or candles should have shades made of orange colored paper. All decorations can be made of yellow crepe paper designed to represent oranges.

The dining table may be covered with orange satin, overlaid with a lace lunch cloth, and doilies, to match the center-piece, with yellow beneath them. A large papier-mache orange in two sections, so securely united as to appear as a whole, is placed at each guest's plate. In each orange place a favor. Appropriate favors would be orange bonbon boxes tied with yellow baby ribbon. Glass dishes placed on yellow paper doilies may contain orange puffs, orange straws and bonbons.

Before leaving the table each guest might be permitted to guess the number of seeds placed in а small glass bowl, with orange spoons being awarded as prizes for the best guesses. The menu for this occasion should be an orange salad, placed upon crisp lettuce, orange jelly, whipped cream, cakes with orange icing, orangeade.


I hope these ideas inspire you! Let me know if you use any of these ideas. Except the baby one. But the others, please let me know!

Photo Credits:
Pink Luncheon by Neven Krcmarek
Orange Reception Pie by Cats coming
Orange Reception Drink by Victoria Shes