{"product_id":"the-season-a-social-history-of-the-debutante","title":"The Season: A Social History of the Debutante","description":"A Smithsonian Best History Book of 2019\n\nIn this enthralling history of the debutante ritual, Kristen Richardson sheds new light on contemporary ideas about women and marriage.\nKristen Richardson, from a family of debutantes, chose not to debut. But as her curiosity drove her to research this enduring custom, she learned that it, and debutantes, are not as simple as they seem.\nThe story begins in England six hundred years ago when wealthy fathers needed an efficient way to find appropriate husbands for their daughters. Elizabeth I’s exclusive presentations at her court expanded into London’s full season of dances, dinners, and courting, extending eventually to the many corners of the British empire and beyond.\nRichardson traces the social seasons of young women on both sides of the Atlantic, from Georgian England to colonial Philadelphia, from the Antebellum South and Wharton’s New York back to England, where debutante daughters of Gilded Age millionaires sought to marry British aristocrats. She delves into Jazz Age debuts, carnival balls in the American South, and the reimagined ritual of elite African American communities, which offers both social polish and academic scholarships.\nThe Season shares the captivating stories of these young women, often through their words from diaries, letters, and interviews that Richardson conducted at contemporary balls. The debutantes give voice to an array of complex feelings about being put on display, about the young men they meet, and about what their future in society or as wives might be.\nWhile exploring why the debutante tradition persists―and why it has spread to Russia, China, and other nations―Richardson has uncovered its extensive cultural influence on the lives of daughters in Britain and the US and how they have come to marry. 8 pages of illustrations\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 0393608735\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: RDV.0393608735.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Richardson, Kristen\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: This book is in good condition with very minimal damage. Pages may have minimal notes or highlighting. Cover image on the book may vary from photo. Ships out quickly in a secure plastic mailer.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Reliant Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46327363731633,"sku":"RDV.0393608735.G","price":6.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0544\/8872\/7729\/files\/0393608735-0.jpg?v=1761334312","url":"https:\/\/www.reliantbookstore.com\/products\/the-season-a-social-history-of-the-debutante","provider":"Reliant Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}