In the Whirl of the Dance

The collection of precious and common metals of the Moravian Gallery in Brno also incorporates "varia", an unusual example of which is a set of twenty-six dance cards by Anna Kašparová from 1850-1910. They are small ball costume accessories, at those times given out by ball organizers as part of the invitation for ladies. These beautiful small items document the variety of the period approach to etiquette and fashion. Today a collectors' item in great demand, they were handed down from mother to daughter and preserved as family memorabilia of romantic moments at balls from which short-lived or lifelong relationships would develop.