by Avril Defleurey

Created on: July 29, 2010   Last Updated: August 20, 2010

The earliest forms of business cards are known to be from fifteenth century China. It is generally thought that the Chinese invented them, to be more precise the inventor was the Minister of the Chinese Empire, who was a fifteenth century imperial eunuch.  The cards were roughly the size of a modern day playing card, and they were handmade with the use of ‘woodcut’ printing. Woodcut printing used engraved wooden blocks coated in ink; the chosen block was then pressed onto the paper.  Although they were rather bland of colour many cards were enhanced with engraved ornaments, a coat of arms, a signature, or a personal message. During the reign of Louis XIV in the seventeenth century, the middle classes in France presented visiting cards or ‘visite Biletes’ as they were called in the French court, as introductions when visiting other middle class households. Personal messages on cards often came in the form of a code, which each and every sender and receiver understood. For example the letters p.f. (pour feliciter) meant the sender was delivering congratulations and p.c. (pour condoleance) condolences, pr. ones thanks (pour remercier), p.f.N.A. Happy New Year (pour feliciter Nouvel An), p.p.c. to take leave (pour prendre conge) and p.p which meant; send your visiting card if you want to be introduced to anybody (pour presenter).

The United States of America and other parts of Europe including England followed the French trend and adopted calling cards for men and women alike, although women were only allowed to carry calling cards after they had been in society for a year. A strict code of etiquette ensured each card was presented properly; and handed at the front door of middle to upper class houses to a servant, the servant then delivered the card to the host or hostess to inspect and decide if a face to face visit was in order. Each and every card was collected in the hallway of houses in a silver dish kept just for that sole purpose, along with a pad and pencil for messages to be left by the visitor if an audience was not forthcoming. Whilst waiting in the hall it was considered extremely rude for a visitor to inspect other calling cards left in the hall tray. By looking at the collection of cards one would be able to tell certain things, for example if the top right hand corner of a card was folded over it showed that the visitor delivered the card personally, if a card was folded in half it meant that the card was intended

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