I would be the last person to suggest that I have any more knowledge than the rest of you. That doesn’t stop me pretending sometimes so here goes ...
I would like to put the idea out there that many of the antique handkerchiefs were used by men. Their fashions were more ornate and eye catching than their female equivalents. A gentleman would have a larger handkerchief or it could be a kerchief. Even when ladies were happily waving their handkerchief in their hand, it was fully unfolded and so maybe smaller than we imagine? Also, have I missed a reference to wedding handkerchiefs being a real thing in olden times? I certainly have not seen Alice’s message on this topic. End of my tuppence worth (we got rid of our ‘penny’ years ago but my old country still has theirs). Helen. > Antique examples were extremely large,15-20" of fabric. Smaller items are > usually described as chalice covers. > http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/215260?sortBy=Relevance&ft > shows a handkerchief 15inches square. > > Annette Meldrum in a rainy, South Coast NSW, Australia - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
