Victorian America - Entertainment

Entertainment

Attitudes toward work and working greatly changed entertainment in Victorian America. Before the Civil War, everyone worked, even the very wealthy. Not working was scandalous. However, after the Civil War, this attitude changed and the wealthy began to hire middle-class managers to manage the day-to-day affairs of business leaving the wealthy to be sedentary. The combination of more time coupled with larger cities with a higher concentration of wealthy lead to the creation of an upper-class subculture often referred to as "society." Society membership basically required one thing: old money. New money was acceptable only if the individual was very wealthy or if the individual was the child of new money and had married into an established family.

Society members were often related by blood, marriage, or business to one another. Society also held debutante balls (still held in parts of the US) where young women would "come out" at 18 and be introduced to all the eligible young society men. In one season, there would be 18 or 20 balls.

Parties held by society members were very elaborate with each party trying to outdo every other party. At one party, all the women received diamond necklaces as party favors while the men were given cigars made out of dollar bills to smoke. Most Victorian mansions had ballrooms with orchestras. Reports of the parties were published in the social papers in newspapers.