Etiquette and Advice, 1631-1969
Etiquette from the Oxford English Dictionary: "The customary code of polite behaviour in society; good manners."
Dena Attar wrote of etiquette in her book A Bibliography of Household Books Published in Britain, 1800-1914: "The literature of etiquette is full of paradoxes. On the surface, it is the written code for a fixed, formal and recognized system of behaviour, yet the volume of books and articles on etiquette produced between 1800 and 1914 speaks more urgently of uncertainty and change. Common themes were the decay of modern manners and the instability of society, and writers often described their books as necessary correctives for wider social problems."
The Etiquette and Advice collection from Winterthur Museum contains more than 440 British and American books on etiquette from as early as 1631 well into the 20th century, and represents complete published works as well as scarce printed ephemera.