Hankies - A Photo Essay, Part II
by Patricia L. Cummings, an inadvertent collector of all textiles
photos by James Cummings
Hankies often tell a story, if we know how to read them. The first hanky featured in this article is one that was obviously manufactured with little girls in mind. I am not 100% sure, but I believe this is a "Holly Hobbie" print from the last quarter, 20th century. The cotton cloth hanky is printed "cheater cloth" (imitation patchwork).
Bonneted (Holly Hobbie?) children featured on a faux patchwork background
Another hanky celebrates a special occasion with images, and suggest the words to a well-known song, around the perimeter. By the way, the song was written by Stanley Murphy and set to music by Percy Weinrich, in 1909.
Put on your old gray bonnet with the blue ribbons on it
And we'll hitch old Dobbin to the shay
And thru fields of clover we'll drive up to Dover
On our golden wedding day!
Other hankies build on needlework traditions. The one seen above celebrates paisley, a topic about which I wrote an article for Fabric Trends magazine. "Paisley: A Brief History" is now available on this website.
This delicate hanky very much resembles a Medallion Style Quilt, typical of early English quilting. Notice the paisley shapes in the third border, going outward.
This "busy" hanky features yellow roses superimposed upon gridwork. The swag border design very much resembles the quilted swag motifs so typical of mid-19th century/ circa 1850 quilts, especially those from the Baltimore, MD area. There is much overlap in designs, from one textile format to another.
This hanky features a much larger scale floral design. The colors of this and the design itself do resemble a miniature piece of art. The flowers seem to be dancing in the wind.
This hanky appears to have been homemade from abstract, cotton print fabric. The reason I know this is that I found unsewn yardage of the same print that had not yet been given an edge treatment.
We zoomed in for a close-up of this exquisite "G" monogram. The tiny flowers were all worked by hand on this man's handkerchief.
In Conclusion
As always, there is so much more to share with you. With any luck, we have expanded your knowledge of hankies. There are so many of them "out there." They are a really fun "collectible."
In response to "Hankies: A Photo Essay (Part I)," a reader sent a link to an article that she recently wrote about hankies. Madonna Dries Christensen is the author of the recently-published book, Dolls Remembered, and several others.
A hanky article by Madonna Dries Christensen
©Copyright 2009. Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. All rights reserved for photos and text. Inquiries may be made at: pat@quiltersmuse.com