Victorian Etiquette Quotes

Imagine taking a step back in time to when the streets were filled with the whirlwind of all the horse and buggies and the city’s air brimming with smog from the factories. The day was fraught with toil and hard work. Though the environment may not seem so extravagant a night out was where opulence spilled out in every person of high society. At night, the aristocracy of Victorian England thrived because every single person held manners at a high regard in everything they did, especially in front of others. “Some simple rules for everyone to follow were to be gentle and kind and not act in anger or selfishness” (Malheiro, B. "Victorian Etiquette - The Basic Rules of Etiquette). Etiquette on the street, at the dinner table, and during a ballroom
When a person left their house, “they should have brought only the money they needed and should have kept an eye on their belongings” (Higgs, Chap. 1, street etiquette). For company, “a gentleman may offer his arm to a lady when safety is necessary, and a gentlemen may have two ladies on his arms, but a lady cannot have two men on her arms” (Malheiro, B. "Victorian Etiquette - Street Etiquette). “When men and women meet meet on a sidewalk, they should pass on the right” (Malheiro, B. "Victorian Etiquette - On Traveling). “Wherever a person went, to know your bearings was important” (Higgs, Chap. 1, street etiquette). “It was never a smart idea for a well to do person to walk on the poorer side of town and generally it was not wise to talk to strangers” (Higgs, Chap. 1, street etiquette). If a lady or gentlemen found themselves in trouble, they could talk to “Policemen or “Bluebottles” who were there to help and always nice” (Higgs, Chap. 1,
“Men were supposed to let women and older people go before them when crossing the street” (Malheiro, B. "Victorian Etiquette - On Traveling). “Though men could walk alone in the street women always had to be accompanied by a gentlemen or family member” (Higgs, Chap. 1 street etiquette). “When entering a carriage men helped women in and when leaving men helped women out” (Malheiro, B. "Victorian Etiquette - On Traveling). Navigating the street was dangerous for men and women in the social world, because of the judgements that could be passed on a person, but this did not stop anyone from walking the street to have dinner before a