Debutantes for Dummies

Part of the Articles series.

Written by Rose.

A Girl's Guide to Debutantes and Being Presented at Court

Who is a debutante?

A debutante is a woman who has been presented at court and is consequently allowed to appear in the highest echelons of high society in London. She would be young, unmarried and about seventeen or eighteen years old. Older women or married women could also be presented at court if they had not previously had an opportunity to do so.

Who could be presented at court?

Any lady could be presented provided they could be vouched for by another woman who had already been presented. This was usually their mother, but could be another relation or a suitably eligible family friend. A mother-in-law could vouch for her new daughter-in-law, for instance. The necessity of finding someone to vouch for the debutante made it obviously something principally only open to the upper classes.

What did presentation at court consist of?

Drawing Room, St. James' from Ackermann's Microcosm of London by & Pugin, A.C. Rowlandson, T. (1808) Note the extravagant court dress.

Presentation at court was the occasion of the debutante being presented to the Sovereign. In the Regency, this would be the Prince Regent. This would take place on Thursdays during the season at St. James' Palace, which was the main residence of the Royal Family. A person who wanted to be presented at court would have to submit an application and if it was accepted, they would be contacted by the Lord Chamberlain with the details of the date of their presentation. The ceremony would start at 10pm.

At the ceremony, the debutante and suitable female companion would wait outside until they were summoned. The debutante would always wear white and usually pearls. When called, they would approach the Sovereign, curtsy and then leave without turning their back.

After their presentation at court, a debutante would usually have their own private coming-out ball or party put on by their family.

What was the point of presentation at court?

As well as being seen by the Sovereign, the debutante would also be seen by eligible young men at St. James'. Presentation at court signified a debutante's formal availability for marriage and she would be treated as a lady and a potential and suitable wife from the date of her presentation.

Presentation at court also enabled her appearance at the most upper class events of the season. The Almack's Patronesses would never consider accepting a young lady who had not been presented at court. She might also attend Royal Ascot and balls and tea parties at the Palace and private balls and parties among the ton.

Is being a debutante the same as being out?

No. Being out simply meant that a girl's parents considered her of a suitable age to be married and seen in society. Rich girls who came out would probably hold a coming out ball. Debutantes made up a tiny proportion of the population and referred only to those girls who were presented at court and came out in the top end of London society.

Could a girl have a season if she was not presented at court?

Of course. Anyone could enjoy the entertainments season, regardless of rank, provided they could afford to live in London, if they did not already. There were balls, masquerades, card parties, theatre and opera for all classes. Also, the Bath season had nothing to do with presentation at court and many girls were brought to Town enjoy the London season who never made it to court and Almack's.

What was the appropriate age for a girl to be presented in society?

The average age for a girl to come out in society (whether that meant presentation at court or not) was 17 or 18. Any younger was considered two young - marriage at the age of 15 or 16 was no longer the norm. However, from this base line of 17, since marriage was the aim of coming out, the younger the girl the better in order to increase her chances of surviving childbirth and to prolong the childbearing period. In London or Bath, where coming out was expensive and required a great deal of effort, a family might rely on their daughters only having one season. An elder sister might wait until she was 19 to make her debut so that her sister two years younger could come out at the same time. Barring the issues of expense, ill health, or a compulsory mourning period there was no reason whatsoever why a girl would be presented older than 18. It would do her no favours and would be commented on.

ADDED BY Vix (and edited by Rose):

Court presentation was not as simple as it sounds. It was actually rather difficult to walk gracefully, balancing the ostrich plume headdress, do a full court curtsey (long and slow and deep) and then come up, again without dislodging the headdress, then walk backwards, again gracefully, with a train. Someone would gather up the train and throw the train over your arm as you walked backwards, but it was an extra obstacle.