Tea In Time ~ForGetMeNot Memories & Events
" During the late nineteenth century, an afternoon tea was one of the most informal entertainments to which a fashionable lady could invite her friends and acquaintances." 1895 edition of Table Talk
James Ervin: Warped Autumn
Sep 22 – Oct 19, 2023
Donna Ford: Night of Harmony
Oct 26 – Nov 28, 2023
Mobile Afternoon Tea
You choose the location
Tea In Time provides vintage tea sets, sandwich plates, water glasses, flatware, decorations, hats, props and much more. Our Tea Servers have been trained and costumed in Victorian Era Etiquette. Packages are based on a per-person rate and comes with a tax deductible receipt.
About Ms Frothingham's School
Who should join?Mothers and Daughters, Single Young Ladies of all ages who follow the Civil War Reenactment Trail. We have a place for everyone.Note: Mother-Daughter includes, Aunt-Niece, Grandmother-Granddaughter, Honorary Women - Honorary Young Women. The combinations are endless. Fathers are welcomed and much needed for support.
Where are you located?Etiquette classes will be held throughout Southern California’s Civil War Reenactment Events. It’s perfect for those who attend events while our soldiers are fighting for our honor. *
What does it cost?Time and dedication. Material fees can be offset by volunteering at fundraising events.Items included in fees: material for individual ball gowns, afternoon tea, lesson supplies and the end of summer Victorian Debutante Cotillion Ball.
“We need women who are so strong they can be gentle, so educated they can be humble, so fierce they can be compassionate, so passionate they can be rational, and so disciplined they can be free.” Kavita Ramdas
Ms. Frothingham's 1800's School of Etiquette
Class schedule and itinerary will be made available in Spring 2022
Ridiculous Etiquette Rules from Victorian Times or are they?
1. THE LENGTH OF CONVERSATION MUST DEPEND ON THE PLACE WHERE YOU MEET: In the streets, conversations were required to be short—wouldn't want to hold up traffic!—but when taking a longer “promenade” through the garden, discussions were granted more time.
2. As a lady enters a drawing-room...HER FACE SHOULD WEAR A SMILE; SHE SHOULD NOT RUSH IN HEAD-FOREMOST; A GRACEFUL BEARING, A LIGHT STEP, AN ELEGANT BEND TO COMMON ACQUAINTANCE (...) ARE ALL REQUISITE TO A LADY: As if women didn't already have enough to deal with during the 19th century. All the above is included in addition to "not shaking, of the hand extended to her," but rather, accepting it with "cordial pressure."
3. AFTER MID-DAY IT IS ILLEGAL TO CELEBRATE A MARRIAGE: Fortunately, things loosened up near the end of the century, and weddings could be held as late as *gasp* 3 p.m.
4. WHEN A BRIDE IS YOUNG, THE BRIDESMAIDS SHOULD BE YOUNG: The handbook also mentions that it was acceptable for a young married lady to be a bridesmaid, but it would be “absurd” if the woman in question were single and aged. We wouldn’t want to throw off the aesthetic, I suppose.
5. THE WORST PART OF A COUNTRY VISIT IS THE NECESSITY OF GIVING GRATUITIES TO THE SERVANTS: What an imposition! Paying the help is the most loathsome burden.
6. GLOVES MUST BE WHITE, NOT YELLOW: Because lemon-colored gloves would have been the obvious choice otherwise. 7. THE DANCES [AT A BALL] SHOULD BE ARRANGED BEFOREHAND, AND, FOR LARGE BALLS, YOU SHOULD HAVE PRINTED A NUMBER OF DOUBLE CARDS, CONTAINING ON THE ONE SIDE A LIST OF THE DANCES; ON THE OTHER, BLANK SPACES TO BE FILLED UP BY THE NAMES OF PARTNERS. A SMALL PENCIL SHOULD BE ATTACHED TO EACH CARD: Apparently parties were a little more regulated back then. The handbook follows with the assortment of dances that one should expect at a ball (such as a quadrille, a waltz, a polka) as well as the number of times they are to be played.
8. A LADY SHOULD NEVER HAVE MORE THAN ONE GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE: Oh dear. If the handbook's obsessive rules are too overwhelming for you, feel free to fall back on this overarching mandate:
11. ANYTHING THAT DETRACTS FROM THE PLEASURE OF SOCIETY IS IN BAD TASTE: At least one rule has aged quite nicely.
2. As a lady enters a drawing-room...HER FACE SHOULD WEAR A SMILE; SHE SHOULD NOT RUSH IN HEAD-FOREMOST; A GRACEFUL BEARING, A LIGHT STEP, AN ELEGANT BEND TO COMMON ACQUAINTANCE (...) ARE ALL REQUISITE TO A LADY: As if women didn't already have enough to deal with during the 19th century. All the above is included in addition to "not shaking, of the hand extended to her," but rather, accepting it with "cordial pressure."
3. AFTER MID-DAY IT IS ILLEGAL TO CELEBRATE A MARRIAGE: Fortunately, things loosened up near the end of the century, and weddings could be held as late as *gasp* 3 p.m.
4. WHEN A BRIDE IS YOUNG, THE BRIDESMAIDS SHOULD BE YOUNG: The handbook also mentions that it was acceptable for a young married lady to be a bridesmaid, but it would be “absurd” if the woman in question were single and aged. We wouldn’t want to throw off the aesthetic, I suppose.
5. THE WORST PART OF A COUNTRY VISIT IS THE NECESSITY OF GIVING GRATUITIES TO THE SERVANTS: What an imposition! Paying the help is the most loathsome burden.
6. GLOVES MUST BE WHITE, NOT YELLOW: Because lemon-colored gloves would have been the obvious choice otherwise. 7. THE DANCES [AT A BALL] SHOULD BE ARRANGED BEFOREHAND, AND, FOR LARGE BALLS, YOU SHOULD HAVE PRINTED A NUMBER OF DOUBLE CARDS, CONTAINING ON THE ONE SIDE A LIST OF THE DANCES; ON THE OTHER, BLANK SPACES TO BE FILLED UP BY THE NAMES OF PARTNERS. A SMALL PENCIL SHOULD BE ATTACHED TO EACH CARD: Apparently parties were a little more regulated back then. The handbook follows with the assortment of dances that one should expect at a ball (such as a quadrille, a waltz, a polka) as well as the number of times they are to be played.
8. A LADY SHOULD NEVER HAVE MORE THAN ONE GLASS OF CHAMPAGNE: Oh dear. If the handbook's obsessive rules are too overwhelming for you, feel free to fall back on this overarching mandate:
11. ANYTHING THAT DETRACTS FROM THE PLEASURE OF SOCIETY IS IN BAD TASTE: At least one rule has aged quite nicely.
"Useful and ornamental needlework are capable of being made, not only sources of personal gratification, but of high moral benefit, and the means of developing in surpassing loveliness and grace, some of the highest and noblest feelings of the soul." ~ The Ladies' Work Table Book, 1845
HISTORICAL SIP & SEW OF ORANGE OUNTY
Love the Dresses? Learn to sew your own for the upcoming cotillion ball.
Summer Program
“Good sense and good nature suggest civility in general; but in good breeding there are a thousand little delicacies which are established only by custom.”
~ Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
The program objectives are achieved through a summer curriculum consisting of educational workshops, activities, community service outings and rehearsals.
The culminating event of the program is the Victorian Debutante Cotillion Ball, to be held at the end of the summer in which the debutantes are formally presented in Victorian Society and their local communities.
This event also includes an award ceremony in which individuals will be presented with scholarships to the following years program
The culminating event of the program is the Victorian Debutante Cotillion Ball, to be held at the end of the summer in which the debutantes are formally presented in Victorian Society and their local communities.
This event also includes an award ceremony in which individuals will be presented with scholarships to the following years program
(above) The Vivandieres were young women who served in the Civil War showed great courage in the face of battle.
Our Victorian Etiquette Program
supports Young Women in today's society by promoting:
The enhancement of personal, civic and leadership development through structured educational workshops.
Develop servant leadership through volunteerism and community service.
Develop high ethical standards, character development, good citizenship and social graces during the formative years. Develop camaraderie and positive relationships with other young women. Develop artistic expression and health through dance and movement
The enhancement of personal, civic and leadership development through structured educational workshops.
Develop servant leadership through volunteerism and community service.
Develop high ethical standards, character development, good citizenship and social graces during the formative years. Develop camaraderie and positive relationships with other young women. Develop artistic expression and health through dance and movement
Donations
Donations help offset the cost of tuition, educational tools and materials for each attendee. This program is possible by donations from individuals like yourself.
Each Donation over $50.00 will come with a 15% annual discount on all Tea In Time Afternoon Tea Fundraisers. *
* 15% discount applies to the initial purchase per event (regardless if you are buying (1) seat or (20) seats at a time). All subsequent purchases for the same event will be at the regular price. Donations receipts automatically provided for donations over $100.00.
Each Donation over $50.00 will come with a 15% annual discount on all Tea In Time Afternoon Tea Fundraisers. *
* 15% discount applies to the initial purchase per event (regardless if you are buying (1) seat or (20) seats at a time). All subsequent purchases for the same event will be at the regular price. Donations receipts automatically provided for donations over $100.00.
Exploring History through Authors
Book Corner: 2024 Summer ProgramAdditional Info will be available in Dec 2023
“He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.”The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
“I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t do anything but think about him. At night I dream of him, all day I wait to see him, and when I do see him my heart turns over and I think I will faint with desire.”The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
“You are sunlight through a window, which I stand in, warmed. My darling.”The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
“He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.”The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
“I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t do anything but think about him. At night I dream of him, all day I wait to see him, and when I do see him my heart turns over and I think I will faint with desire.”The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
“You are sunlight through a window, which I stand in, warmed. My darling.”The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
I’m a paragraph. Drag me to add paragraph to your block, write your own text and edit me.
~ ANNUAL DEBUTANATE BALL ~
The state apartments will not be open for the reception of the company coming to Court until half-past one o'clock.
These regulations apply equally to ladies and gentlemen. Directions at what gate to enter, and where the carriages are to set down, are always printed in the newspapers.It is desirable to be early, in order to avoid the great crowd, which, of late years, has rendered attendance at the drawing-room a great effort, even to the strongest. On getting out of the carriage, everything in the shape of a cloak, or scarf, even of lace, must be left behind; the train is folded carefully over the left arm, and the wearer enters the long gallery at St. James's, where she waits until her turn comes for presentation : she then proceeds to the Presence-Chamber, which is entered by two doors ; she goes in by that indicated to her, and, on finding herself in the Presence-Chamber, lets down her train, which is instantly spread out by the Lords-in-waiting with their wands, so that the lady walks easily forward to the Queen. The card on which the lady's name is inscribed is then handed to another Lord-in- waiting, who reads the name aloud to the Queen.
When she arrives just before Her Majesty, she should curtsey very low, so low as almost, but not quite, to kneel to the Queen, who, if the lady presented be a peeress, or a peer's daughter, kisses her forehead; if merely a commoner, holds out her hand to be kissed by the lady presented, who, having done so, rises, and making another curtsey to Prince Albert, and also severally to any member, of the Royal Family present, and then passes on, keeping her face towards the Queen, and backing out to the door appointed for those who go out of the Presence-Chamber.
The culminating event of program is the Victorian Debutante Cotillion Ball, to be held at the end of the summer in which the debutantes are formally presented in Victorian Society and their local communities.
Ms Frothingham's Debutan Ball, while cotillions are more focused on teaching young people how to be respectful members of society, debutante balls mark the official joining of society once those children age into young adults. Depending on the town, debutante balls feature the "debut" of young ladies from age 16 to 21 as official members of society.
Once considered to be a family's announcement that their daughter was of good breeding and of marriageable age, today the balls—although still steeped in tradition and rituals—are more about fostering community, supporting charity, and appreciating the maturation of teenagers into young adults. Young women are presented, and typically escorted by one or two younger escorts of their choosing.
The Queen’s Levees at St. James's Palace is recreated.To be observed with regard to the Queen’s Levees at St. James's Palace.The Noblemen and' Gentlemen, who propose to attend Her Majesty's Levees, at St. James's Palace, are requested to bring with them two large cards, with their names clearly written thereon, one to be left with the Queen's Page in attendance in the corridor, and the other to be delivered to the Lord Chamberlain, who will announce the name to the Queen. Any Nobleman or Gentleman who proposes to be presented to the Queen must leave at the Lord Chamberlain's Office, before, twelve o'clock, two clear days before the Levee, a card with his name written thereon, and with the name of the Nobleman or Gentleman by whom he is to be presented. In Order to carry out the existing regulation that no presentation can be made at a Levee excepting by a person actually attending that Levee, it is also necessary that a letter from the Nobleman or Gentleman who is to make the presentation, stating it to be his intention to be present, should accompany the presentation card above referred to, which will be submitted to the Queen for Her Majesty's approbation. It is Her Majesty's command, that no presentations shall be made at the Levees, except in accordance with the above regulations.
It is particularly requested, that in every case the names be very distinctly written upon the cards to be delivered to the Lord Chamberlain, in order that there may be no difficulty in announcing them to the Queen.
The state apartments will not be open for the reception of the company coming to Court until half-past one o'clock. These regulations apply equally to ladies and gentlemen. Directions at what gate to enter, and where the carriages are to set down, are always printed in the newspapers.
It is desirable to be early, in order to avoid the great crowd, which, of late years, has rendered attendance at the drawing-room a great effort, even to the strongest. On getting out of the carriage, everything in the shape of a cloak, or scarf, even of lace, must be left behind; the train is folded carefully over the left arm, and the wearer enters the long gallery at St. James's, where she waits until her turn comes for presentation : she then proceeds to the Presence-Chamber, which is entered by two doors ; she goes in by that indicated to her, and, on finding herself in the Presence-Chamber, lets down her train, which is instantly spread out by the Lords-in-waiting with their wands, so that the lady walks easily forward to the Queen. The card on which the lady's name is inscribed is then handed to another Lord-in- waiting, who reads the name aloud to the Queen. When she arrives just before Her Majesty, she should curtsey very low, so low as almost, but not quite, to kneel to the Queen, who, if the lady presented be a peeress, or a peer's daughter, kisses her forehead; if merely a commoner, holds out her hand to be kissed by the lady presented, who, having done so, rises, and making another curtsey to Prince Albert, and also severally to any member, of the Royal Family present, and then passes on, keeping her face towards the Queen, and backing out to the door appointed for those who go out of the Presence-Chamber.
