Photo source: Ladies Home Journal (July, 1911)
Here’s a few table etiquette rules that appeared in a 1921 home economics textbook:
- Never go to the table unless hands and face are clean and hair is in order.
- Stand behind your chair until the hostess takes her seat.
- The napkins should be laid across the lap without being entirely opened out. Never stick the corner inside the collar. If the napkin is to be used again, fold it neatly before leaving the table.
- Always sit erect in the chair while eating. Keep the arms and elbows off the table.
- Never eat hurriedly.
- Do not talk when the mouth is full of food.
- Ask politely for dishes to be passed, rather than reach across the table.
- Never complain about the food. If it is not the kind desired, it need not be eaten.
- If it is necessary to leave the table before the others are ready, ask to be excused by the hostess.
- Do not talk about disagreeable things during the meal.
Source: Elementary Home Economics (1921) by Mary Lockwood Matthews