Intro Unit Flashcards
Identify 3 etiquette rules that either a man or woman must follow in Victorian Canada
- Ladies must graciously accept the assistance of a gentleman
- A lady under 30 must always have a chaperone when with a man
- Men must stand to acknowledge the presence of a lady
What are 2 etiquette rules still applicable today?
- A hostess must allow nothing to upset her calm.
2. Ladies are expected to listen and show interest when someone is telling a story
What are 2 Victorian rules that are outdated?
- Skirts must not lift up above the ankles
2. Ladies are fragile and must be assisted wherever possible
Describe Victorian etiquette.
Formal, polite, chaste.
Contrast Victorian/1920s etiquette
Impolite to smoke in front of ladies/ many women smoke
Dress must cover ankle/ many dresses knee length, much more practical
Corsets worn, small waist ideal beauty/ youth is ideal beauty
Young man and woman cannot be seen alone together/ associate freely, but chastity is still valued
Dances formal, requiring a dance card/ Night clubs and creative dancing popular.
What is the biggest change of the 1920s?
social interactions, especially between men and women.
Describe dances in the Victorian era.
The highlight of the Victorian era. Extremely formal, dances were the best opportunity to meet new people. A “master of the dance” acted similar to today’s DJs.
List dances in the Victorian era.
Waltz, quadril, Foxtrot, polka
Waltz
Most intimate dance. Required being in tune with one another. Graceful, formal, stiff, less personal, made you feel grown up
Quadrils
Long, involved dances with everyone in sync. 20ish steps. Required training to avoid an embarrassing misstep.
Foxtrot
1920s made it fun and popular
Polka
Fun, faster, but similar to a quadril. Required a “master of the dance” to call out moves.
What is Upper class:
Top 2%
What is Middle class/
Professional class:
$350 000/year
What is Working class:
$27 000/year. Works for other people
What was the woman’s role Victorian Canada?
Most women didn’t work. Their responsibilities were to care for the household, children, and please their husband.
Women were married out as early as possible (16) by their parents, preferably to a wealthy, established man (30)
To have a child before marriage was a disgrace. Women were sent away to have it and the child was usually put up for adoption. The child was considered a bastard and the mother was not to show favour to it. The woman became unmarriageable.
How many women worked (Victorian)
Only 10% of women worked, the poorest of the poor.
What were acceptable jobs for a woman?
Music teacher (until married) Housekeeper Telephone operator Dressmaker Nurse Stenographer (secretary)
What were unacceptable jobs for a woman?
Blacksmith
Barmaid
Lawyer (not thought competent)
What was Canada’s identity at the turn of the century?
Canada was proud to be part of the British Empire.
THEY LACKED THEIR OWN IDENTITY.
Describe the British Empire’s influence.
The British Empire covered 25% of the world. “The Sun never sets on the British Empire”
Britain was our #1 trading partner. 85% of the economy was owned by the British. All products, such as the Empire Assorted Biscuits, were British in order to be recognizable to British immigrants.
1947
Canada establishes a Canadian Citizenship, finally giving it a sense of identity.
1965
We get the Canadian Flag. Prior our flag was the Union Jack. There was a huge controversy over whether we should have our own flag or not.
What do the colours on the Union Jack represent?
Red says: Be Brave
White says: Be Pure
Blue says: Be True
1982
We get “O Canada”.
What was our anthem before O Canada?
“God Save the King/Queen”
- Purpose to present her victorious in warfare - Nothing about Canadian identity, all about British pride
May 24th
May 24th was “Empire Day” (now “Victoria Day”) celebrating British Heritage. Most of us connect it only with a day off.