Page (servant)

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A page was traditionally a young male servant.

1 The Medieval page
2 The modern household page
3 The decorative page
4 See also

[edit] The Medieval page

In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire. A young boy served as a page for seven years, from the age of seven until he was fourteen. At age fourteen, he could graduate to become a squire, and by age 21, perhaps a knight himself. Similar pages served in castles, and great houses fetching things and running messages for aristocrats and royalty. These boys were often the scions of other great families who were learning the ropes of the manorial system by watching and learning. Their residence in the house served as a goodwill gesture between the two families involved and helped them gain political contacts for their adult lives. A reference to this kind of page is found in the Christmas carol Good King Wenceslaus: "Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know'st it, telling...."

[edit] The modern household page

Boys of humble background might also gain a similar place in a great house. According to the International Butler Academy, these pages were apprentice footmen. Unlike the hall boys, who did heavy work, these pages performed light odd jobs and were liveried when the aristocrat was entertaining.

[edit] The decorative page

During and following the Renaissance it became fashionable for black boys and young men to be decorative pages, placed into fancy costumes and attending fashionable ladies and lords. This custom lasted for several centuries and the "African page" became a staple accoutrement of baroque and rococo style. The character is frequently illustrated in literature and film, particularly periodwork:

In the Grace Kelly film, To Catch a Thief, an undercover detective wears the costume of her "African page" to a costume ball.
Valentine Nwanze played an "African page" attending James Graham, Marquess of Montrose in the film Rob Roy.
"Koko", the fictional manservant of an opera diva, is cast as her African page in A Nut at the Opera by Maurice Vellekoop.
Decorative pages feature in a drawing room scene in Persuasion.

This type of page is almost unheard of today outside of royal residences, although the functions and status of United States House of Representatives Pages are a clear continuation of the earlier precedent.