Featured Opinions on the age of these handkerchiefs

I have owned these two handkerchiefs for several years. I believe they are wedding hankys. They were found in a trunk with articles from the late 18th and very early 19th century. They are made of a very fine, semi - transparent muslin. The hand embroidery is amazing. I plan on securing and cleaning up the edges and having them framed. Any opinions on the age of these? Thanks

 

Initials look like MCB....not positive what the order should be, unless you KNOW! SO VERY FRAGILE....but also pretty!! Best of luck in stabilizing and framing them.....would be fun to see them when you're done, or have them done!!!! Someone cared enough to mend them here and there, rather than just discard them....and then obviously saved them due to their tenderness!! Lovely work in them!!

 

I think if you soak these in mild soap and water with a capful of Oxy those stains will come out

 

So very fragile and lovely .. VERY nice indeed !!! ... Joy.

 

I'd recommend laying these flat on a towel before submerging them in a wet wash, to minimize strain to the weak threads. After the final rinse lay the wet hankies on the towel in the direct sun for a few hours, that will help remove quite a bit of the stains. It's like magic!

 

I'm not sure that these very fragile items would survive a water bath ... Joy.

 

I think Darkwing explained it well. You wouldn't stick them in the basin and scrub them, but you can put them on a towel and soak them. The sun would do wonders.

 

I don't believe I mentioned "scrub them" .. Joy.

 

Old trick. Lay them gently in a water bath to which you've added lemon jiuce. Don't swish them. Lay flat, ideally outside, in strong sunlight till dry.

 

Using a towel as a backing is the method taught to me by professional textile conservators. When thread becomes wet it weakens, so support is essential. If possible it is better to do your repairs first before wet cleaning.

 

I could be wrong, but they don't look like Hankies to me, but rather two panals cut from something else. I've never seen hankies with ragged edges.

The panals are lovely.

 

Towel is a great idea. Yes, they do look like panels.

 

More than likely they were edged in lace and then removed, cut away it seems.

 

Actually, I don't plan on cleaning as the two little darkish stains are not offensive. Believe it or not the fabric is surprisingly strong. I gave it a slight tug test in no tearing, it is not dry or brittle, luckily.

 

Does anyone have an idea on how old these might be?

 

I don't know the age, but was wondering what you are thinking of doing with what remains of the edges that have been cut away?

 

I am guessing 1920-30s based solely on style aesthetic, but am not an expert by any means.Can we tag Northern Lights Lodge? I'm not sure how to do that. She is very knowledgeable on lace, etc.

 

Hey! Chiming in here!

How lovely!

Hmmm... I can't say that I've ever seen a handkerchief with a solid wide hem like that and then lace beyond it (having been cut away). It IS possible - I've just never seen any like that. I think the late 1800's / early 1900's is accurate. I also can't imagine what else they would be, other than handkerchiefs! They are just too gossamer to be much else... also that would mean more a decorative handkerchief rather than a practical one...

Can't say I can see them clearly enough to make a handmade or not judgement.

As for washing: no... I don't think they'd survive. Looks like they have some poor mends going on now. IF - IF you do choose to wash them. I would find a glass cylinder shape jar - wrap a modern men's white handkerchief around the jar... anchor it. Then carefully wrap the old pieces around the handkerchief... then wrap with a layer of netting. It could be soaked that way. When you feel it has soaked enough - let it drip dry a little - then CAREFULLY unroll onto a flat surface like glass to dry. It is possible that you can flatten / finger press it a little at that point. By all means : don't put any stress on the wet fabric!

Leslie

 

Textiles completely out of my range, so all this is interesting. How big are these? I can imagine holding one to your face while saying, I feel faint. Certainly not for wiping the brow or stopping the spread of Covid-19.

 

I’ve been collecting antique and vintage hankies for 25 years, and the placement of the monogram is wrong for hankies. I think your pieces are the front side of antique pillow cases/shams because the monograms are centered along one side (top) and oriented toward the center to be readable when the pillows are placed on a bed (could be mid to late-1800s). A hanky monogram is almost always in a corner and faces the outside edge so other people can read it (unless it’s a man’s hanky/pocket square).

It would help to know the dimensions of your pieces even though the original piece would have been larger. Antique square pillow shams are usually larger than hankies – 26-27” vs 12-16”. The material looks like a very fine linen, which is probably why it still feels strong even though it’s had lots of use and many many washings. Linen is stronger wet than dry, but I don’t know if the stains would come out even if washed. I don’t mind seeing antique linens with a stain or too when displayed. For framing, you might want to just leave the edges as is, or trim them away, then have an acid-free mat cut that covers everything but the embroidered part.

This photo shows an antique monogrammed pillow sham that sold on eBay, although you can barely see the monogram. https://www.ebay.com/itm/STUNNING-A...243833?hash=item1ce58c07f9:g:cIMAAOSw~tteZAn~