Uses of Piano Playing

"Clara had avoided a tete-a-tete by opening the piano"

This week, I was sorting out a pile of old magazines in the Guild's collection.  In the pile were a few copies of The Young Ladies' Journal from the 1860s. They include a few knitting & crochet patterns, as well as the usual mix of fiction, fashion, cookery, etc., and so deserve a place in the collection.  It's useful, too, to see the knitting & crochet patterns alongside the fashions of the time.  And old magazines can be entertaining - I liked this cover illustration from an 1869 issue.  Not sure what's going on, but I'm sure the chap is a cad from the way he is posing elegantly with the chair.