The Mischief of a Shadowy Valentine
A parlor game of 'choosing' romantic partners via silhouette backfires when a young man masquerading in his sister's gown is mistakenly selected.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Tuesday last was the occasion of an enjoyable Valentine shadow party at the residence of the Misses Hood, 427 Lincoln street. The invitation cards were unique and appropriate; a pierced heart was represented in one corner and at the bottom was the quotation: 'Coming events cast their shadows before.' The house was appropriately decorated, and upon all sides was conspicuously displayed the emblem of the day—a heart pierced by an arrow. Shadow pictures were the feature of the evening. The gentlemen would choose their valentines from among the fair shadows cast upon a screen. Many ludicrous mistakes were made, but the fun reached a climax when one of the young men chose Miss Hood's young and mischievous brother, who was masquerading in one of his sister's gowns.
“The fun reached a climax when one of the young men chose Miss Hood's young and mischievous brother, who was masquerading in one of his sister's gowns.”
Parlor games of the 1890s served as high-stakes social theater, where gender roles were strict but often subverted through masquerade and performance. Today, Seattle’s vibrant drag and queer performance scenes continue to use the stage to play with the gender expectations that these Victorian socialites found so startlingly funny.
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