Life — July 15, 1909 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Departmental Ditties: Invitation Etiquette This page is an advice column by Harry Graham satirizing the social conventions of formal invitation writing. The left side contains verse mocking common mistakes in invitation composition—awkward phrasing, misspellings, poor ink choices, and unclear dates that confuse guests. The right side offers three humorous "examples" of poorly-worded invitations where hosts create situations they didn't intend. For instance, one invitation's vague wording inadvertently excludes someone's aunt; another creates scheduling conflicts. The decorative initial letter suggests early 20th-century publication. The satire targets upper-class etiquette anxieties—the fear that improper invitations damage social standing. Graham's humor lies in showing how small writing errors cascade into social embarrassment, a concern particularly acute among those aspiring to "Upper Classes" respectability.