Society & the Season
Although the English aristocracy is primarily famed for their splendid country houses, they had a strong presence in the capital, too. While they certainly did spend a lot of time in their various country homes, ‘Society’ – comprising those of the highest social standing – romped about the West End of London for three months from the beginning of May until the end of July every year, for what was termed the Season.
Society is a complicated and fluid concept. Initially, it was only composed of members of the uppermost social ranks, that is, those who were eligible for presentation at court. As the population expanded during the nineteenth century, so did Society. Soon, it was not only nobility who participated in the whirl of the Season as marital links were forged further down the social chain, between the aristocracy and the landed gentry, and even the affluent middle classes, whose fortune could help them to gain access to Society when sons of aristocratic families would marry their daughters for their wealth. Thus, the composition of Society changed considerably over the generations, becoming more ‘inclusive’, so to speak. (1)
"Fashionable London at Play"
The Royal Academy private view traditionally constitutes the start of the Summer Season
This slow yet significant change did not go unnoticed, and many established members of Society commented upon it unfavourably. In 1905, for example, Lady Dorothy Nevill, looking back on several decades of experience, remarked that
Society to-day and Society as I formerly knew it are two entirely different things. Indeed, it may be questioned whether Society, as the word used to be understood, now exists at all. (2)
In her early days – the 1840s – Society was still in its most exclusive form, when land and blood were more important than wealth. The rise of the Nouveaux Riches – people who made their money from industry, commerce, or finance – was often blamed for this ‘deterioration’ of Society.
It was during the Season when it became clear who was and who was not part of Society. While Society itself might have transformed in the course of the century, the Season’s mechanics remained virtually unchanged. Year after year, from early May to late July, the noblest, wealthiest, and most fashionable families congregated in London for three months of glorious dinners, balls, charity events, and court presentations. The Season in this form had been developing since the sixteenth century, but peaked during the nineteenth. Essentially, it was networking at the highest level; it allowed the elites to mix, mingle, reinforce connections, and, not least, to show off, thereby consolidating their status within high society. There was a strict etiquette in place to which anyone who wanted to belong to Society was required to adhere. Although these rituals were extremely complex, they also allowed for people who were not of the ‘right’ kind of breeding to still gain access to these elite circles. But if you wanted to play their game, you had better learn their rules – and there were many, minutely dictating one’s behaviour and social moves.
A debutante in the company of her sponsor or other chaperone
The pinnacle of every Season was the formal presentation of debutantes at court. The first occurrence of such an event dates back to George III’s reign (1760-1820), when a number of young women (and men!) were presented to him and the queen. This developed into a formal procedure in which young and newly married women from noble or diplomatic families were expected to be presented to the monarch, which constituted their official debut in Society. In order to be able to partake, it was necessary to apply to the Lord Chamberlain’s office for presentation cards; once this was successful, the young lady could consult diverse magazines for advice on what to expect from the Season and, most importantly, on what to wear – three ostrich feathers, representing the Prince of Wales, were obligatory, but otherwise the fashion changed every year. When the day arrived, the debutante, with her sponsor – a lady who had already been presented – would find her place in the queue and wait until it was her turn to courtesy and kiss the monarch’s hand. Manoeuvring themselves and their four-foot train was particularly difficult, which is why girls were encouraged to practise this before their presentation. This rite of passage was known as ‘coming out’, introducing girls into adult society – thereby also signalling their availability for marriage. With its many social events, the Season undeniably provided enough opportunity for eligible young bachelors and eligible young ladies to meet, but it was certainly not the sole purpose of the Season. (3)
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"Some Incidents of a Debutante's First Drawing-Room" depicts a debutante's exciting experience at her formal presentation
With everybody who was anybody in town, one was spoilt for choice of things to do. During the day, ladies would pay calls to each other or go shopping, one would take a stroll in the park or ride along Rotten Row in Hyde Park. The evenings were packed, and it was not unlikely to end up with several dinner or ball invitations for a single evening. In Seeing and Hearing (1907), G. E. W. Russell gives a wonderful account of a young man during the season of 1880, who, after just having been to a dinner, is assessing his options for the rest of the night: he has been invited to a ball, a “little dance,” and a “gorgeous entertainment.” The young man concludes to go to the Royal Ball at Grosvenor House first, before spending the early hours of the morning at the dance. (4) Russell paints a picture of endless possibilities and enormous pleasure. Nearly three decades onwards, he laments the current state of things. While back in 1880 there had been three balls a night from which to choose, in 1907, one was lucky there was had one. Yet, increasingly more happened outside of what was considered the Season:
“London is nearly as full in December as it is in May. Dinners and plays and suppers at restaurants are as frequented … at Christmas as at Midsummer.” (5)
‘The Season’ had lost its sharp edges. While decades earlier no one of rank would have dared to stay in the capital during August and September, when they were expected to go shooting in Scotland or abroad, it was now a common sight. Russell saw in this the beginning of the end, even predicting that the Season as then known would have perished completely in a decade.
Russell linked this decline to the trouble the aristocracy was facing during the last decades of the nineteenth century, which would continue into the early decades of the twentieth. Bad harvests in combination with the heavy death duties (inheritance tax) laden onto the aristocracy by the government required them to restructure their assets. While many chose to sell their London houses in favour for their country homes, others did the opposite, accounting for Russell’s observation of a ‘full’ London (6)
The Season survived much longer than Russell predicted, albeit it never truly regained the glamour of the fin de siècle. The last debutantes were presented in 1958, after which Buckingham Palace eventually dispensed with Court presentations, removing one of, if not the core elements of the Season. Even though some elements that comprised the London Season are still celebrated today, such as the Royal Chelsea Flower Show, the Season as it was known at the turn of the century, such an integral part of London life, is definitely a thing of the past.
The ballroom of Devonshire House shortly befor its demolition in 1924
Dorchester House on Park Lane, demolished in 1929
(1) Jerry White, London in the Nineteenth Century: A Human Awful Wonder of God (London: Vintage, 2007): 288-90.
(2) Lady Dorothy Nevill, The Reminiscnences of Lady Dorothy Nevill, ed. Ralph Nevill (1905): 99-106.
(3) Lucinda Gosling: Debutantes and the London Season (Oxford: Shire Publications, 2010).
(4) G. E. W. Russell, Seeing and Hearing (London: E. Grant Richards, 1907): 65-8.
(5) Ibid., 70-1.
(6) For more about the aristocracy's struggle during that time, see David Cannadine, The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy (New York: Vintage Books, 1999).
