"A Gentleman is Calling, Madame..."

The deferential butler, the suitor, the undertaker...all presenting calling cards to announce a most-important arrival. I adore calling cards as much as I adore tight bodices and fainting women.
When I was little, I happened to open the door when someone knocked, and a man offered me his calling card to annouce his presence to my parents. I remember thinking, "Huh?" and then asking him to wait outside until I gave his card to my mother. She immediately said, "You should have invited him inside!" to which I said "What about no talking to strangers?" "Anyone with a calling card is not a stranger," she replied. So right she was, I have since discovered, and I myself have calling cards (OK, I've never used them, but still...). Maybe you are familiar with Edward Gorey's habit of putting a blank white calling card in one frame of every story, a haunting image. The lone card on the vast floor, dropped by a heart-broken guest who was NOT announced. The snub is unbearable if you have a calling card. So I learned.

Lucy in the Sky and Hummingbird by EnfinLaVoila; Call Soon by PalomaNest; Pink Design by Elaine Biss; Sea Creatures by artisjok; Lion by Pressa Russa; Snowflake by EnfinLaVoila; Rabbit and Hippo by happygirlgreetings; Parakeet and Buddha by artisjok; Birds by paperandink; Floral by mylittlebuffalo; Light Blue by vermilionstarpress; Deer by OhSmile; I'm Sorry by Gramskinpaperstudio; Typos by InvitedInk; Mums by SarahTams; Dots by modernemotive; Red cards by notepourri; Dogs by FuzzyMug; Design by Oh Smile; Farmer's Market by drenculture; Modern Squares by pixelimpress; Nautical by SiskaStudio; Typewriter by Naomi Lynn; Poppies by Michelle Brusegaard; Mod Trees and Berries by SiskaStudio; Mommie calling cards by Pretty Smitten; Marie Antoinette by Enfin La Voila.