Useful Instructions for Ladies in a Gentleman's Society: Emily Thornwell's 1859 "Lady's Guide to Perfect Gentility." This little gem provides useful information for a lady's manner, dress, and conversation within the family, at the piano and table, on the street, and (most importantly) in the gentleman's society.... Includes instructions for appropriate letter writing, needlework, millinery, toilet, hair, makeup, complexion, teeth, hands, and much more. Special attention is dedicated to the lady's presumed position in society and maintaining propriety in relationship to the gentleman's position with directives to disdain "the folly of affection," to keep a balance between "reserve and ostentation," to avoid "low and vulgar associations," and to eschew "displays of pride or overbearance." Oh, and there is a lot more! 226+ pages in a compact 5" X 7" leather hardcover, fully indexed, book. Published by Derby & Jackson, New York. Average vintage condition: Obvious light staining and fading. Some stray pencil marks. Loose (but repaired) binding. No odors or major distress noted otherwise. Features contemporary advertisements in rear for Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte novels among others. 

VICTORIAN LADY'S GUIDE