A Little More on Handkerchiefs

Does anyone else have a long list of unfinished blog posts? I know I do! Today's post, one of many started then buried in my draft folder, is short but I thought it high time to share! I've written a few times in the past about 18th century handkerchiefs. Today I'd like to show you a few handkerchiefs I came across in my research as well as a few references to them in historic newspapers. There are endless references and it's a lot of fun discovering them!

A neck handkerchief is a necessary article of clothing for every living historian as well as a great (and simple!) way to dress up or change the look of your historic clothing. Burnley and Trowbridge has a nice selection of lovely printed handkerchiefs and fabric to make your own.Wm. Booth Draper and  Sign of the Golden Scissors both offer a fine selection of fabrics too.

Some 18th and early 19th century handkerchiefs in Museums.

From the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston 

White with red border - MFA Accession Number 16.391

Blue wool plaid - MFA Accession Number 44.804
Blue and white handkerchief - MFA Accession Number 51.1992

MFA Accession Number 34.126

From the Victoria and Albert Museum

V&A T.173-1921

V&A IS.166-1950

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art

MET C.I.38.85.2

Lady's Repository Museum- Child's purple and white printed handkerchief, c. 1785

From Christie's - Red and white showing rates for Hackney cabs

From Colonial Williamsburg - Reproduction handkerchiefs

And more ...

Boston Evening-Post, August 3, 1761  
- "Imported from LONDON and GLASGOW, ... strip'd and flower'd border's lawn handkerchiefs & aprons, ... spotted & flower's India bandanno handkerchief, lungee romalls, china taffaty handkerchiefs, cross bar's silk ditto, flower's culgee ditto, check'd & flowered linen ditto, cotton ditto"

Boston Gazette, September 7, 1761 
- "lawn handkerchiefs with flower'd & strip'd borders, ... gauze handkerchiefs of all colours; bandannoes; negligee & rosset silk handkerchiefs"