God Bless You

I have a small collection of lady's hankies. I say small, because I have a friend who has a MUCH larger collection than I! ( I won't mention names, but Ruth Ann........?) Anyway, I really have two collections. The first is a box of hankies that once belonged to my grandmother, Mary Mahaney McCaffrey. She taught school in Shiawassee County, Michigan for many years. The second box of hankies are some that were collected by a good friend, who passed away a couple of years back. I inherited her small collection.

Not so long ago a lady always had a hankie. In times past a handkerchief was a necessity, in case you encountered some icky smell as you moved through your day. In Victorian times a handkerchief might be used as a way to communicate.

So, be VERY careful in public with your hankie! You need to memorize the above code!

A lady would need to sew black edging onto her handkerchiefs to indicate she was in mourning. Look at this lady. Her handkerchief is edged in black.

Do you remember in old movies, when a lady is crying, and a man has to hand her his handkerchief? Rhett was always having to hand Scarlet his handkerchief. He told her this, in the very last scene of GWTW: "Never, at any crisis of your life, have I known you to have a handkerchief. " Remember?

A good place for a hankie, when at home, is in the pocket of an apron. When one is out and about, of course it must be handy in one's pocketbook. Sometimes it fit nicely up a sweater sleeve.

A hankie nearby could be used for so many things. A child with dirt her face could be quickly cleaned. Tears could be efficiently wiped. A quick bandage, a place to keep a broken bracelet until you got home. I remember when women had to cover their heads in church. If you forgot your hat, a hankie would work!

Then there is the obvious - for what we use a tissue for. Here is a poster encouraging the use of one's handkerchief.

Kids had hankies. Moms and Grandmas did too. Dads and Grandpas carried handkerchiefs!

I have a book from 1962 called Career Model's Guide To Beauty, Charm, Poise. On page 187 we learn that a handkerchief can be used to freshen one's attractiveness! The paragraph goes on to say "This will be especially true if it wafts your favorite fragrance." Try doing THAT with a Kleenex!

There are dozens of ways to fold a handkerchief, and you can look these up on line. Maybe practice a few, just for fun.

Many people still use handkerchiefs. It is a part of fashion - wedding tuxedos always have one tucked into a pocket. Handkerchiefs are a good alternative to tissues made of paper products, as a better choice for the environment.

Wedding handkerchiefs are special. When my son got married, I gave my new daughter-in-law one that belonged to my grandmother. She gave me a beautiful personalized handkerchief on the occasion of the wedding.

What I like about handkerchiefs is that they were a part of daily life of my ancestors. And, I like that I have some that belonged to my grandmother.

Here is a picture of my grandma, Mary Mahaney McCaffrey.

Here are some that belonged to my grandmother. I imagine that she received many of them as gifts from students over the years.

Many of hers have crochet edging.

If I had this book, I could get going on some new ones!

I love this grouping.

There are a few that are for special holidays. This one is for Valentine's Day.

There are a couple for Christmas.

This one is sort of grey on white work. The detail is amazing.

A white on white. Again with the great detail.

Apparently these were not high dollar items. And, I guess she never used this one! 49 cents!

This one, on the other hand, I am quite sure was priceless to her. I am thinking that my uncle must have brought it back to her from World War II. He was in the Battle of the Buldge, so I know he was in France. I was afraid to iron this one!