Attitude of an Era

"There was a great deal of fun about it all, and a great many ludicrous situations, which served to enhance the pleasure of the evening."

--From a description of a 'calico ball' in Atchinson, Kansas, as reported by the Atchinson Daily Champion, February 15, 1887.  Reproduced in America's Printed Fabrics.

Thus, parlor games.  Certain figures in the cotillion or "German". And all the humor in Dickens.

Hat tip to Stormi