I’ve asked at several restaurants recently for a business card and the young staff just look at me as if I am crazy. I take it that asking for business cards is an indication of my advanced age, akin to asking for a phone directory or perhaps a wax tablet and a stylus?
Probably true. Got me thinking about a separate question. Business cards were universal before 1980, then faded well before the web took over. When I worked in printshops, business cards were a large part of our jobs. They were ordered for lawyers, accountants, executives, and salesmen. The card represented one person, not a corporation. Even then, asking a restaurant for a business card would have been unusual. Maybe things were different in NYC.
= = = = =
I figured that the business card had evolved from elite visiting cards or calling cards. An engraved business card, like an engraved invitation, signaled high status. Sure enough, the path was direct and the two types of card are still more intermingled than I thought.
Polistra's Mill 