Nineteenth Century Romance in America
The nineteenth century is often perceived as a particularly uptight epoch of stifling social mores, and extreme prudishness. Compared to what had gone on before and what came after, it was a buzzkill period, at least for young people. Far as interactions between the sexes, especially interactions that involved unmarried young women, the fixation on propriety was not conducive to romance. The era’s courtship rituals did not lend themselves to spontaneity. Especially with ever present and often dour chaperons who cast a baleful eye upon all young men in the vicinity.
With such social dragons on guard, aspiring beaus found it difficult to even approach the objects of their desire, let alone romance and sweep them off their feet. So men discretely slipped young women “escort cards” when their chaperones were distracted. Such “escort cards” were not business cards, with the contact information of those who offered sexual favors for money. Instead, they were printed cards that allowed nineteenth century guys to cheekily get around the rigid rules of social interaction between the sexes, and ask a woman if they could, literally, escort her home.