Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Retirement
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 01-14-2015, 04:24 PM
 
6,900 posts, read 7,529,950 times
Reputation: 21694

Advertisements

Yes, my pencil (wherever it is) in silver pencil holder probably dates from ca 1900. The pencil is flat and rectangular, not like a mid to late 20th century pencil. I bought it sometime in the 1960s!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 01-14-2015, 04:28 PM
 
Location: USA
30,481 posts, read 21,675,558 times
Reputation: 18783
Quote:
Originally Posted by TFW46 View Post
I went to an all-girls' school. In 1962 and 1963 our school sponsored dances with the local all-boys' school. That's when the dance cards were used. As mentioned earlier, the dance cards were little booklets with pretty ribbons to tie around the girls' wrists.

A boy would sign his name in the booklet for whatever dances he wanted with that girl. Refusing to let a boy sign your dance card or refusing to honor the dance card signatures was not allowed. So, for the boys, I think it reduced the tension of asking a girl to dance and having her say no. For the girls, it was very nerve-racking, wondering if many boys would sign the dance cards.

Then, the next school day, many girls would bring their dance cards and compare them. I never did that because the dance cards were so special, and in a way, very private to me. I think the dance cards were wonderful, especially for shy guys or ones who didnt have a lot of self-confidence. And, for the girls who saved their dance cards, they must evoke wonderful memories of a simpler, more personal time.
That sounds pretty cool





So if a girl had a lot of guys on her dance card was it a sign of popularity?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-14-2015, 04:35 PM
 
15,632 posts, read 24,296,296 times
Reputation: 22815
Quote:
Originally Posted by LS Jaun View Post
So if a girl had a lot of guys on her dance card was it a sign of popularity?

I guess so, although I never was part of that lifestyle. I saved my dance cards for several years and enjoyed looking at them and thinking about the guys whose names were on them. I dated a lot of those guys, but the ones who were too shy to ask for dates were probably the ones about whom I thought most often. Of course, in those days girls were much more reserved about dating, at least in the all-girl and all-boy school cultures.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-14-2015, 09:20 PM
 
Location: Georgia
4,578 posts, read 5,622,686 times
Reputation: 15968
Dance cards . . . haha, oh, yeah, remember those, although I was at the tail end of the dying breed.

I was always amused when my daughter would declare that it was considered RUDE for a girl to dance with anyone other than the guy who brought her to a homecoming dance or a prom. Apparently, just the act of being invited to a dance these days gives the invitee exclusive rights for the evening.

Otherwise, I guess, you could just end up grinding with random strangers . . . oh, wait . . .
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-14-2015, 09:26 PM
 
15,632 posts, read 24,296,296 times
Reputation: 22815
Well, yes, even back in my day, if you accepted a date for a dance, it was considered rude to dance with anyone but the guy who brought you. Of course, guys might ask a girl's date for permission to dance with her.

The dance cards were used for dances where there were no dates -- just girls and guys getting together for a night of good, clean fun.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-14-2015, 09:51 PM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,320,422 times
Reputation: 29336
Default ...does anyone remember dance cards?

Yes, but usually for cotillion as others have posted. However, I was so shy and unsure of myself I never dared to try to place my name on one.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-15-2015, 01:12 AM
 
Location: Southeastern Pennsylvania
1,044 posts, read 1,249,796 times
Reputation: 2519
Quote:
Originally Posted by TFW46 View Post
I went to an all-girls' school. In 1962 and 1963 our school sponsored dances with the local all-boys' school. That's when the dance cards were used. As mentioned earlier, the dance cards were little booklets with pretty ribbons to tie around the girls' wrists.

A boy would sign his name in the booklet for whatever dances he wanted with that girl. Refusing to let a boy sign your dance card or refusing to honor the dance card signatures was not allowed. So, for the boys, I think it reduced the tension of asking a girl to dance and having her say no. For the girls, it was very nerve-racking, wondering if many boys would sign the dance cards.

Then, the next school day, many girls would bring their dance cards and compare them. I never did that because the dance cards were so special, and in a way, very private to me. I think the dance cards were wonderful, especially for shy guys or ones who didnt have a lot of self-confidence. And, for the girls who saved their dance cards, they must evoke wonderful memories of a simpler, more personal time.
I went to an all-girls' school as well, TFW. That's probably why we were still doing dance cards in the early '60s.

I definitely do not think our dance cards specified the type of dance music that would be played. It was just a numbered list with blanks next to each number. Because by then, we were dancing to that awful "rock 'n' roll"! The big distinction was "slow dance" or "fast dance."

Since my experience was a prom, and we brought a date, I'm not even sure what the point of the dance card was. You had two or three dances claimed by your good friends' dates, and then the rest were the boyfriend you brought. Which is probably why we didn't bother by Senior Prom.

What I'm trying to remember, but cannot at all, is this: Who had the pencil? Did we girls carry one along with the dance card? Or was that part of what the "well-equipped young gentleman" would be expected to have? Because I'm almost certain those dance cards were filled out in pencil, not pen.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-15-2015, 03:53 AM
 
5 posts, read 4,069 times
Reputation: 19
Yes, I remember my parents talking about them. I'm 70 and never went anywhere they were used.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-15-2015, 10:25 AM
 
Location: Portland, OR
609 posts, read 803,270 times
Reputation: 775
Quote:
Originally Posted by gentlearts View Post
I was watching a PBS show and they had them, and I was reminded of them. In high school in the 60s I belonged to a sorority. We held dances and had dance cards. They were a booklet which served as a keepsake of the evening, and had lines where boys signed up to dance with the girls. Such a blast from the past.

That sounds really sweet. However, what about the girls who couldn't get any boys to sign and dance with them?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 01-15-2015, 10:49 AM
 
1,326 posts, read 1,129,685 times
Reputation: 3279
Lol!

Quote:
Originally Posted by TFW46 View Post
LOL. What a terrible typo.

And, yes, I still drive -- but I guess I should give up typing.

Last edited by ForLoveOnly; 01-15-2015 at 10:53 AM.. Reason: Meant to quote TFW46
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Retirement

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top