Miss and Mr. Manners

Mar 3, 2007

  • Summer 2013 hours: Mon-Fri: 8:30am-6pm; Sat & Sun: 1pm-5pm
  •   SSHEL North (Room 100) and SSHEL South (Room 101)
  • (217) 244-1864
  • sshel@library.illinois.edu

Check out the March 2007 exhibit in the Marshall Gallery of the Main Library building. This exhibit highlights items from the Library's collection of young adult books and provides a glimpse of the do's and don'ts of mid-twentieth century etiquette for teens. From learning correct table manners, to good grooming, to proper date behavior, these guides were written to lead teen-agers to courteous, thoughtful manners that would stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. And, some guides even suggested how to attract the opposite sex - and how and when to say no!

If you think today's social rules are too restrictive, then lay down that pickle fork, pull on your white gloves, be sure to bend gracefully when retrieving that dropped handkerchief, and look over these guides to the appropriate behavior for teens from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Developed by Laurie Chipps with support from Nancy O’Brien.