Historical information

These visiting cards have been commercially produced for those who have suffered a bereavement and wish to leave a visiting card when calling on friends, business acquaintances etc. They would have been used in the 19th century and up to about the 1930s.

Significance

These cards have no known provenance but are of interest because they are a good example of bereavement customs a hundred years ago and earlier.

Physical description

These are two packs of visiting cards, white with black borders. They are made of lightweight card and enclosed in an open cardboard envelope and these are further contained in another cardboard envelope. Originally the envelopes contained 50 cards each but there are now 49 in one box and 41 in the other. The boxes are white with black and white printing and ornamental decorations.

Inscriptions & markings

On front and back of box – ’50 Extra Superfine Queens Thin Ivory Black Bordered Visiting Cards’