At Home day

British colonies

The custom of "At Home" days was also observed in the British colonies, such as in Wellington, New Zealand. Here the tradition served to uphold barriers between the different social classes among the colonists.

Decline

The invention and proliferation of the telephone—facilitating the planning of visits on a shorter notice—did much to make away with the convention of "At Home" days.

It was made further obsolete when, in World War I, many women immersed themselves in the war effort; and, in doing so, largely ignored many previously held social obligations.

A further consequence of the war was that economic scarcity made domestic servants less common, a trend that made the old calling system impractical.

Literary examples

Suffragist Evelyn Sharp used the term in her 1897 short story "The Other Anna", where the heroine liberates herself by turning her back on the "At Home" day:

It is also mentioned in George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play Pygmalion, where it is held by the mother of the protagonist Henry Higgins:

In Edith Nesbit's 1899 novel The Story of the Treasure Seekers, the phenomenon of the "At Home" day is used to express social differences:

References

References

1. Those of her acquaintances who had received the card could then call on her that day.[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/137725632 "Come without a hoop": Old fashioned invitation, ''The Jerilderie Herald and Urana Advertiser'', (Friday, 10 January 1908), p.8.]
2. The case of [[William Robinson Pirie]], [[Ancient university governance in Scotland#Principal and Vice Chancellor. Principal]] of [[University of Aberdeen. the University of Aberdeen]] from 1876 to 1885: [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/207393265 "At Home", ''The (Perth) Truth'', (Saturday, 16 December 1905), p.9.]
3. A Member of the Aristocracy. (2004). "Manners and Rules of Good Society or Solecisms to be avoided". Adamant Media Corporation.
4. McIntyre, Roberta. (1990). "The Making of Wellington, 1800-1914". Victoria University Press.
5. Sharp, Evelyn. (1998). "Nineteenth Century Short Stories by Women". Routledge.
6. Shaw, George Bernard. (1913). "Pygmalion'', Act III''".
7. Nesbit, Edith. (1899). "The Story of the Treasure Seekers". T. Unwin.