In the Nineteenth Century, calling cards allowed a visitor to leave his or her name behind to allow a household to know that he stopped by. Everyone had calling cards. Often, they were simply printed with the individual’s name, and sometimes his address. Occasionally, they might be printed with an image, and very rarely a color image.
Here’s an example of this rare exception. This embossed, chromolithograph calling card depicts a young man in “peasant dress” with his dog who wears a bright pink ribbon around his neck. The card is, oddly, printed with two names. “Bertie and Wade.”
Who were Bertie and Wade? I’m guessing that it was a man and his dog. I actually read recently in one of the antique Sketch magazines that my parents’ recently gave me that in the late Nineteenth Century, the fashion for gentlemen briefly dictated that he add his dog’s name to his calling card, or, have a special calling card made for the dog alone. I would certainly have done this. Mine would read, “Joseph and Bertie.” So, in this instance, I’m guessing that “Bertie” is the man and “Wade” is the dog. Of course, I could be completely off on this. But, since it’s Bertie’s birthday, I’m going with this interpretation.
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