The Pecking Order and 25 Victorian Dinner Etiquette Rules

The napkin was not a towel, flag, bib, or emotional support cloth. It was placed neatly across the lap, unfolded without a flourish, and used quietly. Tucking it into the collar was childish, unless one was very young or very doomed socially. At the end of the meal, it was not folded perfectly again, because that implied one expected to reuse it. Even linen had manners.