Images(2)

Handkerchief

Date1795-1810

OriginAmerica or England

MediumCotton

DimensionsW: 39 3/4"; L: 37 1/2"

Credit LineBequest of Grace Hartshorn Westerfield

Object number1974-377

DescriptionSquare kerchief or neck handkerchief of lightweight plain-woven cotton, block-printed in a design consisting of a central rondel, with corner sections and borders of exotic flowers with rigid stems, and a field of small repeating blossom motif in rows. The design is printed in madder colors with yellow, green,and black on natural tabby cotton ground. Narrow hems and selvages as edge finishes.
Label TextNeck handkerchiefs, or kerchiefs, protected women’s chests from exposure to cold or excessive sunlight and offered modesty when fashion dictated low necklines. This kerchief was block-printed as a large square intended to be folded into a triangle when worn.
ProvenanceEX Coll: Mrs. Jason Westerfield