Forgotten Elegance: The Art, Artifacts, and Peculiar History of Victorian and Edwardian Entertaining in America [Hardcover]

Wendell Schollander (Author), Wes Schollander (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313316856 | ISBN-13: 978-0313316852 | Publication Date: 2002

History students and Victorian enthusiasts looking for comprehensive information on dining practices of Victorian America will find this book a vital resource. Revealing the history of 19th-century dining, clothing, and etiquette, the volume includes sample menus and explicit instructions explaining how to recreate a dinner, tea, breakfast, or lunch in the 21st century. Collectors of china, crystal, and silver will also find this book helpful because it provides a photograph of each piece of tableware that was used, with a history and description of the item. After explaining the different dining styles and the way they evolved into rituals of the Victorian era, a formal dinner is examined course by course. The Schollanders present the history and uses of various wines and show they were matched with different foods. They also explain the evolution of silver, crystal, and china pieces. Additionally the book includes an explanation of the seating order at the Victorian table, correct Victorian table manners, invitations and menu cards, correct dress for dinner guests, correct table settings, the role of servants, and step-by-step instructions for recreating a formal Victorian dinner, tea, breakfast, or lunch.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

At no other time in Western history did people have at their disposal so many food service and consumption utensils and so many carefully devised rules for their use as in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Britain under Victoria and Edward VII celebrated upward mobility but demanded social graces of all. As the present age begins to turn from informality to structure, interest in those old forms and customs has begun to resurface. The father-son team of Schollanders has prepared a guide to the dining etiquette of the Victorian era as well as an illustrated guide to its tableware. They explain the differences among the forks, knives, and spoons of the era as well as the plates, dishes, cups, saucers, platters, and glassware that evolved to meet the needs of chefs, servants, hosts, and diners. The Schollanders' work is a helpful reference tool for answering all sorts of silverware and chinaware identification questions as well as explaining each item's function. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“[t]his book is a history lesson bound to inspire countless mealtime conversations about why the salad has been served first and whether or not the host should wear a hat. Hindsight lends a certain poignancy to any history lesson. Combined with the Schollanders' prodigious research, it affords Forgotten Elegance a sympathetic tenderness that would have been appreciated by those harried butlers, overworked cooks, and nervous party guests of yore.”–ForeWord

“...a helpful reference tool for answering all sorts of silverware and chinaware identification questions as well as explaining each item's function.”–Booklist

“For the conscientious reader, this book is a history lesson bound to inspire countless mealtime conversations about why the salad has been served first and whether or not the host should wear a hat.”–ForeWord

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313316856
• ISBN-13: 978-0313316852
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,019,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Precious Metals

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Victorian reenactor in GA....., October 18, 2005

By 

Camy Sole (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forgotten Elegance: The Art, Artifacts, and Peculiar History of Victorian and Edwardian Entertaining in America (Hardcover)

This is a great book for anyone interested in the use of china and silverware in the Victorian Era and the functions of each piece. It is also a great guide for antique shopping or junking. I know I have seen some of those odd pieces of china and silver and never knew what they were used for. Now that I do, I can add to my collection with confidence.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten Elegance, April 15, 2009

By 

Shirleen Pervall "Shirleen P." (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forgotten Elegance: The Art, Artifacts, and Peculiar History of Victorian and Edwardian Entertaining in America (Hardcover)

This book is very detailed and informative.The bibliography is very extensive and I have found several more books that I find useful for my own collecting. However, considering the price of $62.95, I was a expecting more photos and a larger format.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome resource, July 20, 2009

By 

Cherchezlafemme (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Forgotten Elegance: The Art, Artifacts, and Peculiar History of Victorian and Edwardian Entertaining in America (Hardcover)

I've never read a better resource for historians, historical fiction writers and Victorian/Edwardian enthusiasts. Forgotten Elegance is replete with photographs, diagrams and text culled from primary resources on the art of dining and entertaining. Though this book is fairly pricey it is a TOP resource and owning a copy of this book will supplement any and every other book on the Victorian and Edwardian eras.