[MR] calling cards

[Anthony Bryant]

On Jun 29, 2007, at 7:09 PM, Cecilia Jaeger wrote:

> I remember hearing about them during a visit to Colonial  
> Williamsburg. In
> the same way, a silver plate where a card was placed when a visitor  
> called.
> You could also leave a card you went "calling" and no one was home,  
> so they
> knew you had stopped by. So they date at least back to the colonial  
> days of
> America.  I can also remember reading in the classic Little House  
> series
> when Laura got her first cards and how excited she was to give one to
> Almanzo. :-)
>

Several years ago, a stack of wooden "calling cards" was deterrated  
at the site of one of the old palaces in Nara, Japan, dating to the  
7th century.

It was very cool.

Effingham