Setting the Dinner Table in 1926
posted by Bill Sowers, State Library of Kansas
KGI Online Library Blog, December 22, 2020
Let's hop into the KGI Online Library time machine and take a trip back 96 years ago for dinner.
==============December 1926==================
Especially during the winter holidays it is important to have things arranged properly for those important family meals, isn't it?
You have your white linen table cloth washed and ready? How about the silence cloth? You can use asbestos pads for silence cloths but they are quite expensive, and merely serve for protection.
Napkins may or may not match the cloth. The standard size for dinner napkins is from twenty-two to twenty-seven inches; for luncheon napkins, thirteen to twenty inches.
Silverware must be bright. Frequent polishing may be required to keep it in good condition, but the gain in appearance is worth the extra effort! And of course one should have a tea cart! It will save many steps.
Seat the lady of the house, as a rule, at a place near the kitchen. This saves steps when she must wait on the table herself, and should bring her opposite the man of the house, who occupies the head of the table.
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Yes! They used asbestos coverings at the dinner table! For those of you interested in early 20th century social history this publication is a gem. This 1926 booklet, along with others listed below, was published by the Kansas State Board of Vocational Education. You can view them online at the State Library of Kansas' KGI Online Library, Enjoy!
Table service for busy families with suggestions for meal planning [1926]
Table service for busy families with suggestions for meal planning [1935]
Table service for busy families with suggestions for meal planning [1937]
Table service for busy families, with suggestions for meal planning [1943]