Society news
If social media is any indication, we are obsessed with the goings on of “high society.” This is not a new phenomenon. Since the early 19th century, newspapers have frequently reported on the lives and social gatherings of the rich and famous. By the 1880s, most newspapers in the United States had a society column with titles such as “Society,” “Society Notes,” and “Items of Interest,” During the social season, these columns became entire pages of the newspaper and often included a calendar of upcoming events.
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City Hall Park and New York's Newspaper Buildings: The World, Tribune, The Times, 1901
In England, the lives of the beau monde were scrutinized and sometimes ridiculed. Full names were often redacted, but it wasn’t difficult for the public to decipher who the article was about. The Gentlewoman called their society column "The Social Peepshow"! The primary target audience of society columns, whether in the U.S. or England, was women and the common thread was fashion. Paragraphs were filled with where so-and-so went and what she wore. |
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