This survey represents a compilation of hundreds of invitations, tickets, dance cards, letters, newspaper advertisements, photographs and a variety of other related items that were used during the Mid-Nineteenth Century. Every invitation represents a solicitation to attend an actual event that took place during the era. So, in essence, each item displayed is an original source and every photograph displayed represents a captured moment in time from the era. Efforts were made to select representative items that would contribute to the understanding of the social landscape of the era"--