Personal ads are nothing new. The esteemed New York Herald, for one, was well known for them. As part of her dissertation, Pam Epstein, a doctoral candidate at Rutgers–New Brunswick who also teaches history at Rutgers–Newark, has been studying ads as a reflection of the evolution of love and marriage in late 19th- to early 20th-century America. Her findings, and insightful, amusing blog, are available on her website, advertisingforlove.com.
And I Saw Her Standing There
“Most beautiful girl in box E: have heard again your sweet laugh, and saw those rosy, dimpled cheeks; garnet satin, diamond bracelets. I adore you! Grant to one of wealth and position an introduction, I pray.”
— March 2, 1879
“To the most elegant lady in the world—Too serious in the corridor of the first story. Your smartness fascinates me. I don’t doubt that you have understood my feelings and I hope you will prove it to me by changing the color of your handkerchief’s hem and showing it to me to-morrow Saturday, at 9 a.m.”
— June 19, 1878
“Will beautiful lady that kissed gentleman, Newark depot, grant an interview to gentleman who noticed.”
— March 23, 1870
“Will handsome young lady that ... sat at Spingler House window Thursday afternoon embroidering ... permit the gentleman who was passing by in carriage, could not help admiring that lovely face ... put one word (agreeable) to Alfred, in Personals?”
— February 11, 1877
“Little beauty mint juleps on tile piazza ... When can I see you?”
— August 25, 1878
“Seawanhaka—Tuesday morning: parting salute with handkerchief when on Stairs. Many thanks for those stolen glances. If agreeable would be pleased to become personally acquainted.”
— July 28, 1869
Will You Marry Me?
“A young man of 21 ... not so bad looking, wishes to form the acquaintance of a young lady or widow of not more than 25 years who has plenty of means at her command, and would use them to make a young man happy.”
— February 16, 1863
“A young and romantic miss of 19, having spent her life amid the romantic scenery of Catskill Mountains, feeling that she could no longer exist without visiting this city, hoping once here she could meet with one who would excel all her most fond and brilliant imaginations of God’s most noble work—man ...”
— March 24, 1866
“We, three young men, aged, respectively, 23, 24, and 26, having been thrown out of our home society, and seeing the error of our ways, desire to reform, and to further that end by matrimony, desire correspondence with young ladies. We are, as to looks, good, bad, and indifferent.”
— April 10, 1863
“Ladies fair, improve the chances this year affords you for advances. I fain would wed ere leap year’s close; who’ll be the first one to propose? The one I would wed must be wealthy and beautiful, accomplished, affectionate, virtuous, and dutiful. But the beauty that can lure me, and the wealth that can secure me, I would find in heart and mind.”
— February 11, 1860