100 Years Ago: Social Column Reveals Upper Class Culture
Photograph of 15 men in formal attire sitting down to dinner. Senator Buchanan is sitting on the far left in the second row. Circa 1925.
A century ago, Lethbridge residents paid a lot of attention to local social entertainment. The Lethbridge Herald newspaper was filled with event announcements and reports of home receptions, picnics, club variety shows, and dances. The event reports are particularly revealing. The papers provide many details such as names and outfits of hosts and guests. These reports also included the dinner arrangements and entertainment at the events, like the games played by guests or musical performances.
Hosting upper-middle-class home receptions was a competitive affair. Without Instagram fuelling the competition between these social events, the best way to keep tabs on who was doing what was for the local newspaper to eloquently describe the events to the whole community.
“Friday evening Riverview, the residence of Mr. Conybeare, was a scene of a brilliant and enjoyable gathering, in honor of Miss Cowdry, a guest of Mrs. Conybeare. Dancing, the chief feature of amusement; cards for those for whom the light fantastic held no attraction, and a perfectly appointed supper all conspired to ensure a delightful evening. Among the ladies the hostess was charming in a daintily trimmed black sequined lace gown. Mrs. P. L. Naismith looked well in a very handsome dress of grey brocade elaborately trimmed with pink chiffon and lace. Mrs. Geo. Rogers was a picture in a creation of pale pink and sky blue. Madame Begin was very graceful in black sequined lace over pale blue crepe de chene trimmed with pale blue chiffon.”
Riverview House circa 1892 when the Magrath family occupied it. Boulton Magrath is in front of the house with a bicycle and toys.
This description appeared in the Lethbridge Herald on November 29, 1905. The Riverview house still overlooks the coulees at the west end of 7 Avenue South.
Other types of social events can reveal even more about our community in the past. A 1920 Lethbridge Herald article described the costumes people were wearing at a high school masquerade ball. These included “rancher, cowboy, aeronaut, RCMP, pierrot and buffoon.” Some other named characters noted in the article were Santa Claus, Little Red Riding Hood, Prince Charming, Bonnie Prince Charlie, and “chic Parisian gentleman ‘Monsieur.’”
This kind of account is a fascinating window into the past—a gold mine for historians, genealogists and other researchers. Anyone can search for those accounts online through the Newspaper Archive tool, which is available through the Lethbridge Public Library’s website to everyone with a library card. High-quality reproductions can be ordered from the Galt’s Archives.