The Passing Salute in the Victorian Era

The final important salutation of the Victorian era was the passing salute or bow, used when the lady or gentleman was in motion, rather than stationary (as at the commencement of a dance).  Writing in 1863, Thomas Hillgrove explained that the passing bow

is the proper salutation for both sexes when passing each other in the street or in public places, and is performed without halting.  It is a proper salutation also on entering a parlor or ball-room.

Hillgrove actually wavered a bit as to whether a lady should make a full courtesy or merely a passing salute when entering a ballroom.  Allen Dodworth, in 1885, emphasized the importance of the knowledge of the different forms of salutations and when to make use of them:

The manner of making these motions are sure indications of the standing and associations of both lady or gentleman, but more especially of the latter.  The various circumstances of social intercourse requiring their use in almost unlimited variety, unmistakably show the difference between good habitual motions and an occasional attempt.

He later expanded upon this:

Every degree of respect may be indicated by the courtesy and bow in their several forms, from the supercilious nod, which says, "How are you, Billy," with an upper inflection of voice and sneering expression, to the movement which plainly means, "I present myself before you with profound respect."

As I have already discussed the methods of making the gentleman's bow and lady's courtesy in the context of a ballroom and the beginning of a dance, this post will review the nuances of the passing salute.

The earliest Victorian source I have found that addresses the manner of making a salute when walking is Charles Durang, who explained the bow (for both ballroom and street) thusly in 1847:

When walking, stop in such a manner that the weight of the body may rest upon that leg which is advanced; then, moving the one behind, cause it to assume the fourth hinder position, the third, and the second.  Having arrived at the latter, shift the stress of the body upon the leg forming it, and bring the other leg round into the first position...Having made the salute, slowly raise your body to its usual perpendicular attitude, regain your customary deportment, disengage the leg which had been placed in the first position behind, changing it into the fourth behind, and shift the weight of the body upon that leg.  Whether you intend to renew the salute, or to continue your walk, always finish upon the advanced leg.

Durang's description is of the full ballroom bow, with the movement to second position and closing of the feet to first before performing the actual bow.  This sideways motion is entirely missing from later descriptions which explicitly address the passing bow.  William De Garmo, writing in 1875, explicitly barred such a movement:

We naturally walk nearly in 4th position, and our bow in walking should be made without altering the placement of the feet.

He briefly describes the bow from fourth position as having the legs straight with both feet flat on the floor and most of the weight on the rear foot.

More detailed descriptions are found in Thomas Hillgrove (1863) and Allen Dodworth (1885).  While the two descriptions appear at first glance to be contradictory, I believe they are only slightly different in actual practice.

Hillgrove described his "Passing Bow" as follows:

In making a passing bow, you must turn your body a little toward the person you are about to salute, and slide forward that foot which is next to him to about the fourth position, without stpping, the weight of the body resting on that leg which is furthest from the person you are saluting; slightly bend that knee, at the same time incline the head and body forward to make the bow.  For example: If a friend pass on your left side, the bow should be made while the weight of the body is thrown on the right leg, and the left is in the act of stepping forward....

It is impossible in the illustration below to see the lady's feet, but the gentleman clearly has his left foot forward:

Illustration of the passing bow from Hillgrove (1863).

Dodworth, unfortunately, directly contradicted Hillgrove on this point in his description of the "Passing Salute":

The passing salute is the same for lady and gentleman.  It is, in fact, a slight bow or curved inclination forward, from the hips upward.  The important point to be observed is, to make that inclination forward just as the left foot is placed down in walking when the person saluted passes on the right.  If to a person passing on the left, the inclination is made just as the right foot descends; the face, in both cases, is turned towards the person saluted.  No check, however, should be made in the natural walk.

Dodworth timed the salute so that the foot furthest from the person being saluted descends while Hillgrove prescribed the opposite timing - or did he?  Dodworth says nothing about what the free leg is doing.  Looking more at Hillgrove's explanation than at his engraving, he timed the bow so that if the recipient of the salute is on the left, it is done "while the weight of the body is thrown on the right leg."  In Dodworth, it is made "just as the right foot descends."  Either way the weight is on the foot furthest from the recipient.  The only difference is that Hillgrove had the near leg coming forward - in his illustration, already placed - while Dodworth merely explained that "no check...should be made in the natural walk," which implies that the gentleman is already beginning the next step rather than freezing in place.  In practice, this is really not a very significant difference.  The key point on which both agree is that in the passing salute the weight should be on the foot more distant from the recipient.  This is consistent with De Garmo's description as well, where he places the weight on the rear foot, which in Hillgrove at least is clearly the one farthest from the recipient of the bow.

Both Hillgrove and Dodworth mention that a gentleman may lift his hat as shown in the illustration above.  Hillgrove explains the reasoning:

Salutations in the street are to be distinguished from those made in the drawing-room.  For example: those given in the street may be made more carelessly than those in the parlor or when meeting a particular friend. Therefore, if a gentleman meet a person to whom he desires to show the greater respect, when making his bow he should touch his hat or even remove it from his head; and the whole observance should be marked with more care and regard than on other occasions.

Both Hillgrove and Dodworth agreed that the hat is to be lifted by the hand farthest from the recipient of the salute.  Hillgrove considered this to be in opposition to the nearer leg, which is moving forward as the gentleman bows.

To remove the hat, the pupil will raise that hand which is farthest from the person he is to salute; and the arm will then be in opposition to the foot and leg placed forward to make the bow. For example: when passing a person, and the left foot is to move forward, the right hand should be used to raise the hat.

Hillgrove also offered an alternative movement: one arm may be raised and "the hand brought near to the chest, or may be pressed easily against it, while the other hangs down as before."  The accompanying illustration, below, suggests that it should be the hand farthest from the person being saluted.

Illustration of the removal of the hat and the hand pressed to the chest in the passing bow from Hillgrove (1863)

A final word from Hillgrove echoes the advice given to ladies by Fabritio Caroso two and a half centuries earlier, to make sufficient eye contact to allow the recipient to be certain that it is he or she that is being saluted:

It is necessary also to observe that when bending the body, you are not to incline the head so much as to hide the face, thereby causing the person to doubt whether it be him whom you intend to salute; therefore, before you begin the bow, you should look modestly in the face of the person, which is what we call directing your bow before you make it.

Some sources for the passing salute
De Garmo, William.  The dance of society.  New York, 1875.

Dodworth, Allen.  Dancing and its relations to education and social life. New York, 1885.  Reprinted and slightly expanded in 1900.

Durang, Charles.  Terpischore or ball room guide.  Philadelphia, 1847.  (Also published in Durang's The ball-room bijou and art of dancing in 1848 and 1854.)

Hillgrove, Thomas.  A complete practical guide to the art of dancing.  New York, 1863.

Comments

[Marilee J. Layman]

Didja know I gave Oliver North the cut direct when he was campaigning?

[Susan de Guardiola]

C'mon Marilee, tell us the story!

I've given the cut direct but feel I need practice on my supercilious nod.

[Marilee J. Layman]

Well, I'd gone to the hardware store for some bolts and was fishing among the bins when I saw him come in the end of the aisle. He's a horrible person and I certainly wouldn't be voting for him, but I wasn't moving for him, either. He came and stuck out his hand and said "I'm Oliver North." I looked at him and went on fishing. He said "I'm Oliver North and I'm running for office.." and I said "Sir, I do not know you" and he went away.