Social mores sure do change. Introducing yourself to the opposite sex has always been challenging (at least for me), but we can take some solace in knowing that this has been a problem throughout history. This is especially true during times when many women needed a chaperone to be seen in public. So it’s interesting to read about how other cultures and time periods approached introductions.

For example, in the United States’ late 19th century Victorian era, any gentleman wishing to meet a young lady had three options:

— He could find someone of comparable status to introduce her to him.

— He could risk his reputation and the wrath of any chaperone by daring to speak to her directly.

— Or, most socially approved, he could discretely slip her a small card with a picture or a joke and a request for a simple favor, like walking her home.

Variously called  “escort,” “acquaintance,” or “flirtation” cards, their use lessened as Victorian social norms began to break down around the turn of the century, especially when young people began riding bicycles and traveling by Model T Fords, leaving chaperones behind. Consequently, these cards became mostly novelties before fading away about the mid-20th century.

Due to copyright laws, I’m not showing any examples, but there are several displayed in the article “Saucy ‘Escort Cards’ Were a Way to Flirt in the Victorian Era” by Becky Little at https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/160104-escort-cards-acquaintance-flirtation-victorian-america-dating-history?