At Home day
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The "At Home" day was a social custom in Victorian Britain, where women of gentle status would receive visitors on a specific day of the week.
The woman would print calling cards indicating she would be "At Home" e.g. on "Fridays in April".[1] Those of her acquaintances who had received the card could then call on her that day.[2][3] Guests should visit between three or four and six in the afternoon, and stay for a period from a quarter of an hour to an hour, depending on the level of intimacy with the hostess.[1]
The custom of "At Home" days was also observed in the British colonies, such as in Wellington, New Zealand.[4] Here the tradition served to uphold barriers between the different social classes among the colonists.
Decline
The invention and proliferation of the telephone—facilitating the planning of visits on a shorter notice—did much to make away with the convention of "At Home" days.[citation needed]
It was made further obsolete when, in World War I, many women immersed themselves in the war effort; and, in doing so, largely ignored many previously held social obligations.[4]
A further consequence of the war was that economic scarcity made domestic servants less common, a trend that made the old calling system impractical.[4]