Dearest gentle readers… The latest episodes of Bridgerton have arrived, and the timeline is once again in a frenzy. But before there was swiping left, there were dance cards. As Cassie Brand, curator of rare books washulibraries, has so wisely noted, those delicate little cards were more than lace and ink. They were power. They were choice. They were a lady deciding exactly who might claim her time. In an age when courtship was choreography, women held the pencil. And that, dear reader, was its own quiet revolution. So as we return to the glittering ballrooms of Bridgerton, let us remember: long before algorithms and apps, autonomy was tucked neatly into a satin ribbon at a lady’s wrist. 🌸💌✨ #WashU #Bridgerton #bridgertonnetflix #Bridgertonseason4 #womenshistory