Subject: aristocratic gentleman

Culture: English

Setting: Edwardian era, England late 19th-early 20thc

Event Photos

* Baudot 1999 p59

"The nineteenth and twentieth centuries continued to reaffirm the essential masculine principle of discretion. Restraint, fitting behaviour, giving women precedence and knowing when to keep quiet remained the best ways for gentlemen to distinguish themselves. Brummell said that true elegance passes unnoticed. Or rather claimed that it should do so."

* Hyams 2011 p185

"Yet again, the moral code of Edwardian high society dictates that the superficial is what counts. In fact, there is a long-held mantra that a respectable society woman's name only ever appears in a newspaper at birth, on marriage and on her demise. Newspapers, of course, will report the official engagements of high society. But if it all explodes into scandal and a widely reported court case -- which it infrequently does -- then it's open season on those who are 'caught'. And social death.

"Essentially, the code permits married wealthy people to cover up their love affairs with a finely woven web of discretion and manners. If they are caught out by their spouse, the aggrieved party cannot make a scene or a noisy fuss. That just isn't permitted. Etiquette matters so much more than a discreet affair between marrieds, though at times, of course, very human emotional responses break through the web of discretion."

* Watson 1978 p8

"Perhaps the accolade most cherished by Victorian and Edwardian countrymen and women was that of 'good sportsman' or 'good sportswoman'. That was to say -- strictly within the written and unwritten rules and codes of conduct -- a courageous follower of hounds, an energetic and accomplished game-shot or stalking rifle, fisher, harecourser or falconer. The prosperity coming with the Industrial Revolution opened up the whole spectrum of country sports to an infinitely wider field of society. And, since being a 'sportsman' brought with it a certain social distinction, the new rich stood to win esteem of another kind."

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Field Notes