>

Tag: 1930’s

Vintage Dance Cards

(updated February 2023)

I don’t know what came over me but recently I have been very enamored with finding “vintage dance cards” for my collection of “vintage stuff” at home. I just think they are so fun and wonderful to see when they have the card all filled up. I can just imagine all the glorious dances that the holder of the card would have had and I love seeing a story being told when you read who received those dances that night.

girl filling out her dance card 1940s
Source: eBay

Lets explore the world of “Dance Cards” together.

Disclosure: Some of the links on my blog from Etsy , eBay, are Affiliate Links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

Note: If an item is no longer for sale after you click on it, don’t worry! Etsy & eBay are updated daily with 1000’s of products. Take a look around and see what you find!

Vintage Dance Cards

The History of Dance Cards

A dance card or programme du bal (also known by its German-language name, Tanzkarte) is used by a woman to record the names of the gentlemen with whom she intends to dance each successive dance at a formal ball. They appear to have originated in the 18th century, but their use first became widespread in 19th century Vienna, especially at the massive balls during Fasching before Lent.

An actual dance card is typically a booklet with a decorative cover, listing dance titles, composers, and the person with whom the woman intended to dance. Typically, it would have a cover indicating the sponsoring organization of the ball and a decorative cord by which it could be attached to a lady’s wrist or ball gown. From the 19th century until World War I, dance cards for the elite of Austria-Hungary were often very elaborate, with some even incorporating precious metals and jewels.

In modern times the expression “dance card” is often used metaphorically, as when someone says “pencil me into your dance card,” meaning “find some time to spend with me”. Conversely, someone’s “dance card is full” implies that even though they may be interested, they have no time for another person (Source).

Now for some wonderful examples of Dance Cards

This early 1900’s dance card from Stratton Park Pavilion in Cheyenne Canon, Colorado is a real interesting read. I recommend taking a moment to check out the “rules”.

Early 1900's dance card rules. Rules on how to behave at the dance.
1900's dance card for waltzes and two steps. vintage dance card.

Source: eBay

The Senior Class of 1946 presents ‘The Senior Prom’ April 12th, 1946 at Linden High School, New Jersey.

1940s Senior Prom Vintage Dance Card

The Order of Dance “prompts” are so fun! “Gee! you’re cute” and “Huba-Huba” HA!

1940s vintage dance card

Source: eBay

May 16th, 1947 Junior Prom in the Cafeteria.

1940s Vintage Dance Card for Junior Prom
Source: Etsy-The Vintage Hunter

CLEARLY this lovely gal had only eyes for one gentleman..Ronald Howell.

1940s Vintage Dance Card for a Junior Prom
Source: Etsy-The Vintage Hunter

The below 1941 dance card is from my personal collection. It’s for a ‘Meds Myster Dance’ and it has a fun halloween like theme to it.

1940s Vintage Dance Card-1941 for a Med Mystery Dance.

I’m thinking this colourful 1920s dance card was for a nautical themed dance.

1920's Vintage Art Deco Dance Card featuring a vintage boat
Source: Etsy-puffadonna
1920s Vintage Dance Card
Source: Etsy-puffadonna

Dance card from the 1926 Boston University Junior Prom held at the Hotel Somerset. Partially filled in with names, some crossed out (wonder what happened there?).

1926 Boston University Junior Promenade Dance Card
1926 Boston University Junior Promenade Dance Card

Source: Etsy

These vintage dance cards are lovely and evocative of more elegant and formal times. This listing is for six 1920s dance Fraternity Dance cards. See the collection HERE (and to purchase if you like).

These vintage dance cards are lovely and evocative of more elegant and formal times. This listing is for six 1920s dance Fraternity Dance cards.
These vintage dance cards are lovely and evocative of more elegant and formal times. This listing is for six 1920s dance Fraternity Dance cards.

Source: Etsy

The Gold design on the cover of this University of Michigan 1931 Senior Ball card is really fantastic!

1930s Vintage Dance Card for a senior ball.
Source: Etsy-DickandJanesbooks

And the inscription on the back eludes to a very interesting night, I think.

1930s Dance Card featuring an inscription on the inside
Source: Etsy-DickandJanesbooks

Not all dance cards were made of cardboard or decorative paper some were made out of materials like wood, leather and even metal.

Here is a delightful example of a wood dance card.

1930s Vintage Dance Card for a Senior Ball.
Source: Syracuse University Archives

At this particular Senior Ball of 1939 the famous Musician “Bobby Hackett” was playing with his Orchestra. Now that would have been a treat!

1930s vintage dance card Senior Ball
Source: jazzlives.wordpress.com

Here is another example of a “story” being told in a dance card. Someone by the name of “Gene” got the first dance, middle 2 dances and the last dance at the Ball. Did the romance of the night take these two off to marriage with kids? Or did they go their separate ways after the dance was done? We will never know but we can imagine, can’t we?

1930s vintage dance card
Source: jazzlives.wordpress.com

Now weren’t all those dance cards wonderful? Such a fun tradition, that sadly no longer exists and maybe for the best but as the Queen of Nostalgia I can’t help but yearn for maybe a night where it comes back. Maybe one day.

FURTHER READING:

Liz 🙂

‘Let’s Dance’: The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Dance Tent

Blog Post Series

A while back…like several posts ago I mentioned that I picked up this awesome book called “Let’s Dance: A Celebration of Ontario’s Dance Halls and Summer Dance Pavilions” by Peter Young and was going to visit and blog about as many as I could. I have currently written a few posts on the Vintage Dance Hall topic and today I am writing about the venue “CNE Dance Tent/Dance Pavillion“.

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Dance Tent

The History & Vintage Photos

The CNE stands for “Canadian National Exhibition“. It is an annual event at the end of summer held in Toronto and with approximately 1.3 million visitors each year, the CNE is Canada’s largest annual fair and the seventh largest in North America.

Canadian National Exhibition 1940s vintage ad for the Toronto - TTC. Go and visit the CNE in 1947.

The CNE Tent was only open during the couple of weeks while the fair was on for everyone’s dancing pleasure. It measured 80 feet by 260 feet and was created in Chicago just for this particular event. It was located south of the coliseum and just west of the electrical building (the big tent in them middle of the picture).

Vintage Photo of the CNE grounds in Toronto. The CNE dance tent is in the middle.
Source: CHUCKMAN’S OTHER CHOICE OF WORDS

During my research I actually discovered that the CNE Tent was not the first dance floor to have stood on the grounds of the fair. In the 1930s, when swing music was at the height of its popularity, the Automotive Building (seen below) for two years (1934-5) contained the Ballroom, where the dance bands of Duke Ellington, Rudy Vallee, Guy Lombardo, and others played to overflow crowds. Later in the 1930s a large marquee (tent) with a dance floor was erected to house the bands and their audiences. The CNE tent was born (Source).

1930s Vintage Photo: Guy Lombardo in the 1930s visited Toronto's CNE to perform his big band music for dancers and lovers of swing music alike. Here is the automative building where he performed.
Source: CNE Archives

Great 1937 advertising mentioning Guy Lombardo and dancing on Canada’s largest dance floor amongst many other exciting activities to do at the CNE.

1930s Vintage Ad: Canadian National Exhibition 1937 vintage advertising featuring all the things you can see at the CNE including Guy Lombardo
Source: Torontoist

The Tents official opening was in 1938 and its first year featured Benny Goodman, Buddy Rogers, Guy Lombardo and Tommy Dorsey on the dance floor. Could you imagine dancing to all of these bands in one year??!! The Lindy Hopper in me is kind of losing it just thinking about it.

1930s Vintage Photo: CNE dance pavillion late 1930s featuring a packed dance floor dancing in Toronto.
Look at all the lovely dancers! Source: CNE Archives

In 1940 a great advertisement appeared in the CNE official program stating:

 “Dancing! Dancing – in the great, airy pavilion on a satin-smooth floor. Dancing – to the world’s finest dance bands. Dancing – toe-tickling tunes by music-making masters of rhythm ‘sweet’ and ‘swing.’ Dancing – to the bands you’ve dreamed of, now a reality in the Dance Pavilion.”

(from the C.N.E. Official Catalogue and Programme 1940, pp 23 & 49-Source).

1938 was not the only time the CNE Tent brought in top-notch performers, Torontonians made special trips just to see their favorite acts like:

Duke Ellington, Abe Lyman, Guy Lombardo, Rudy Vallee, Horace Heidt, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy Dorsey, Buddy Rogers, Glen Gray, Tony Martin, Artie Shaw, Eddie Duchin, Sammy Kaye, Al and Bob Harvey, Ina Ray Hutton, Benny Goodman, Tony Pastor, Vaughan Monroe, The Modernaires, Gene Krupa, Trump Davidson and Spike Jones all thru the 1940s.

A famous Canadian Judge – Hon. John Arnup shared a story of his visit in August of 1940.

“The Canadian National Exhibition in the late 1930s and early 1940s had a huge tent covering a dance floor, with tables around its perimeter. In late August, 1940, I took ‘my girl’ to hear and dance to Duke Ellington. At 1am outside her apartment I proposed to her and accepted. We were married a year later and have been happily married for 53 years (in 1994)” (Source).

1940s Vintage Photo: The famous CNE dance tent in the 1940s in Toronto Ontario Canada.
CNE Tent 1940s

Other exciting information about the CNE Tent…

Tommy Dorsey makes history before playing at the CNE-September 8th, 1939

Toronto has a city airport now called “Billy Bishop Airport” but back in 1939 it was originally named Port George VI Island Airport in honour of an upcoming royal visit  The first commercial passenger flight to the airport was a charter flight carrying Tommy Dorsey and his swing band for a two-day engagement at the Canadian National Exhibition on September 8, 1939. It was also the first airliner from the United States to arrive in Toronto. To mark the historical moment Tommy and his band played a few tunes right at the airport (Source).

Beauty Contest held at the CNE Tent

Beyond dancing the CNE Dance Pavillion/CNE Tent also hosted a beauty contest on September 4th, 1940 with the famous dance band leader “Tommy Dorsey” awarding the winner. Then later Dorsey, Al and Bob Harvey and their Canadian Coster Band, with Patricia Bailey played from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Cost $1.00 per person (Source).

Here are some of the contestants from the contest that year. All beauties!

1940s Vintage Photo: CNE Beauty Contest held at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition on 4 September 1940. Photo from the Halifax, Nova Scotia newspaper, the Halifax Chronicle, Tues. Sept. 10, 1940.
Source: Oakville Public Library

Note: I previously did a post on Miss Toronto contest which was held at the CNE as well but I cannot find information that this was that same contest.

A big act comes to the tent to perform….

Frank Sinatra played in Toronto in 1948.

Update: July 18th, 2023-this event might not of happened at the date stated below (see comment section)


In 1948 Frank Sinatra performed under the big tent.

I found this GREAT post on a Sinatra family forum page about his visit thru the eyes of an attendee, which I will share with you now.

I was able to retrieve a couple of memories from my Mom about the 1948 Concert held under the big tent at the CNE in Toronto.They are wonderful memories of a time totally lost. I asked her to try and write everything down when she feels up to it.

The tent was jammed to the limit with fans, and not one speck of trouble occurred. My mom remembers the wood floor that was layed out for the dancing. Can you imagine trying to pull that off nowadays? If we could only have times like that today!

She remembers his famous bow tie, and how all the girls were just swooning at the front of the stage.She had the best time. My parents’ seats (they were newly engaged at the time), along with my Uncle and Aunt were quite a distance from the stage, but the minute Frankie came on my Mom and Aunt were off like a shot, my Dad and Uncle following. As I mentioned before, she was right up to the stage, and loving every minute.You can imagine her excitement, as she’d been a bobby soxer through and through, buying every magazine, and record. And here she was FRONT AND CENTRE STARING UP AT HER IDOL! Hopefully she’ll be able to write her memories of this great time down.

Take Care,from the Second Generation of Sinatra Fans-Ann

I had a bit of a laugh last night, as my Mom recalled another interesting fact about the concert in Toronto.

There was a dance floor put up in front of the stage, and the guys were wanting to dance. The girls on the otherhand were just standing there staring at their beloved Frankie!!!! But then again what else would one expect! He was sooooo cute!!!

-Ann-

And there you have it friends an overview of a historic dance hall in Toronto that sadly no longer stands. I hope you enjoyed the post as much as I did researching information about it. And if you get a chance you really should read Peter’s book, it is truly a good read.

FURTHER READING:

Liz 🙂