HANKIE HISTORY - MORE THAN JUST A NOSE WIPE

by Pam North

A snowy-white or colorful handkerchief at first sight may not strike us as having a history, yet this small bit of cloth has a longer past than most other fashion accessories. Hankies began as a signal of culture and wealth, as well as having many other uses, which included veiling one's face, and covering the mouth and nose for protection against adverse weather conditions or infectious disease.

The first known mention of the handkerchief is by the Roman poet, Catullus (87-57 BC), who spoke of them in his poems as if they were in general use. During the first century BC, these cloths were used almost exclusively by members of the highest social and ruling class as a fashionable luxury, as fabric was a precious commodity. Linen, the fabric of choice, was very expensive, and only after imports of flax had increased dramatically could the growing demands for handkerchiefs by the middle and lower classes be met.

Handkerchiefs were used more generally in the centuries following the birth of Christ. These cloths were kept in the folds of the garment on the chest (neither the masculine toga nor the women's garments had pockets), worn around the neck or carried in the hand. They were also used instead of 
applause; the waving handkerchiefs of the crowd indicated a gladiator's life could be spared.

In approximately 300 AD, reference was made to a cloth which served for cleaning one's nose. However, during the same period it also was customary to wave a handkerchief to greet the appearance of high-ranking persons in the theater, or to express approval.

Throughout the middle ages, only rare references appear regarding these cloths, but at the start of the 14th century a pronounced courtly culture in Europe fostered the appreciation for richly decorated cloths, especially in Italy and France. Women wore a couverchef, or wimple, which was literally a head cover; such a couverchef could be given to a knight as a favor. The wimple were also adopted into the church as part of ecclesiastical dress.

In the course of the 16th century, the decorative handkerchief gained increasing importance in European society, and came to be even more magnificently decorated with the introduction of lace from the Orient. The knotted fringes, delicate edge picots, and small scallops created demand for dainty, fancy designs in sewn and pillow laces. One toyed with the beautifully embellished cloths to draw attention to the beauty and symmetry of the hands.  A handkerchief served little practical purpose; it was only for show, and it became a display and fashion object of the greatest importance.

Tobacco made its entry into Europe during the 16th century, and by the 17th century smoking tobacco gave way to taking snuff, which was considered to be a more elegant manner in which to imbibe. The handkerchief found a new task in wiping the eternally brown noses of the beautiful ladies and 
gentlemen, which certainly were not at all in harmony with their elegant clothes. The traditionally small, lace-decorated squares were entirely unsuitable for this new purpose. Those who wanted to take snuff needed large, more substantial, colored squares on which the brown tobacco stains 
sneezed into the cloth were less visible. Because handkerchiefs became ugly out of necessity, they ceased to be waved in the air, retreating to the pocket (hence, the term "pocket handkerchief"). Cotton was used because it was actually stronger wet than dry. When knowledge was gained of how to dye bright reds, the cloth became colored and printed, and when printed cloth came into fashion, the hankie even became a vehicle for political propaganda.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the handkerchief was regarded as an indispensable accessory for the elegant costume. It no longer disappeared into bags or pockets because it was an artistically decorated article which needed to be properly appreciated. It was an article of great diversity - some were made completely out of lace, others were embroidered and edged in lace; some were made with simple tatted borders. Handkerchiefs were considered the perfect gift for everyone, including mere acquaintances,
and so were produced and exchanged by the thousands. Handkerchiefs became so commonplace, and were used so universally, that everyone automatically carried one everywhere. Most ladies carried them openly in their hands, even on the streets.

This custom made it easy for young people, even though carefully chaperoned, to work out a system of signals that enabled them to carry on a silent but meaningful conversation across the room.  If a young lady drew the hankie across her lips while looking at a young man, it meant that she was desirous 
of making his acquaintance. If she already knew the young man, the signals could get more personal - drawing a hankie across her cheek meant "I love you." A hankie held to the right cheek meant "yes" and held to the left cheek meant "no."  A hankie drawn across the forehead meant "we are being 
watched." If thrown across the shoulder, the hankie communicated the message, "follow me."

Paper tissues, such as Kleenex, for the most part have replaced cloth handkerchiefs in our society.  Buckets of hankies in the laundry - dried out and scrunched up, soaking in carbolic and waiting to be boiled, then filling the wash basket waiting to be ironed - have  faded from the modern scene in 
favor of this easily disposable substitute. The nostalgic historic uses for the handkerchief have disappeared: one tossed flirtatiously by a lady into a gentleman's path to initiate conversation; one knotted Dick Wittington hobo-style over a stick to carry a few possessions; one spit on gently by a mother, and used to wipe leftover ice cream from her child's mouth before meeting relatives; a large one knotted at the corners, keeping sun off the head; one sympathetically pressed into the hand at a funeral; one made of crisp, beautiful lace tucked as a memento into a bride's dress on her wedding day.
Convenience has replaced tradition, and in the process something has been lost.