Originally used in the context of

upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status. Usually, these are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cla ...

English society, ''ton'' meant the state of being fashionable, a fashionable manner or style, or something for the moment in vogue. It could also (generally with the definite article: ''the ton'') mean people of fashion, or fashionable society generally. A variant of the archaic French term ''bon-ton'', designating good style or breeding, polite, fashionable or high society,"bon ton", Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1990, Merriam-Webster Incorporated, p. 167. or the fashionable world, ''ton'''s first recorded use in English was according to the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'' in 1769. In British English, the word is pronounced as in French ''/tɒ̃/'', with American English favouring the Anglicised pronunciation ''/tɔn/'' or ''/tɑn/''. ''Ton'' was a requirement for admission into the English

high society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

during the

English Regency The Regency era of British history is commonly understood as the years between and 1837, although the official regency for which it is named only spanned the years 1811 to 1820. King George III first suffered debilitating illness in the late ...

, defined as the ability to secure a "voucher" to

Almack's Almack's was the name of a number of establishments and social clubs in London between the 18th and 20th centuries. Two of the social clubs would go on to fame as Brooks's and Boodle's. Almack's most famous establishment was based in assembly ...

. As written by Ellen Moers, " alth was no guarantee of admission ... Birth was no guarantee ... Beauty, talent, achievement, distinction—none of these meant anything unless qualified by that elusive term: ton". For example, in the early 1800s, a poor Irish poet,

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852), was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist who was widely regarded as Ireland's "National poet, national bard" during the late Georgian era. The acclaim rested primarily on the popularity of his ''I ...

was quickly accepted, while the rich but vulgar nouveaux riches were being rejected, as were the three quarters of the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

. At the time, the word ''ton'' was widely used in the fashionable publications with no precise definition, although the very use of the French word for

tone Tone may refer to: Visual arts and color-related * Tone (color theory), a mix of tint and shade, in painting and color theory * Tone (color), the lightness or brightness (as well as darkness) of a color * Toning (coin), color change in coins * ...

suggests the difficulty of "performing it". Indeed, the superiority of

Beau Brummell George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England, and for many years he was the arbiter of British men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King ...

in all things of fashion, acknowledged across the Regency England, was too exquisite to copy: "his power over others derived from subtleties of manner so fine they cannot be reproduced".

Depictions

The ''ton'' in Regency England is depicted in many of the

Regency romance Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency (1811–1820) or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency r ...

s of

Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer (; 16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story conceived for her ail ...

, and in

Julia Quinn Julie Pottinger (née Cotler; born January 12, 1970), better known by her pen name, Julia Quinn, is an American author. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages and have appeared on The New York Times Bestseller List, ''The New York Times ...

's 2000–2006 ''

Bridgerton ''Bridgerton'' is an American alternative history regency romance television series created by Chris Van Dusen for Netflix. Based on the book series Bridgerton (novel series), of the same name by Julia Quinn, it is Shondaland's first scripted ...

'' novel series. The latter has been adapted as a streaming television series ''

'', the first season of which aired on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

in 2020. In Heyer's Regency world, as constructed in her " Sylvester, or the Wicked Uncle", the ton is depicted as an entity that carefully builds and maintains the society.

References

Sources

* * *

External links

Almack's Assembly Rooms
Regency era Regency London High society (social class) Upper class culture

Depictions

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links