Image Credit: Dennis Jarvis

In this three part series, I will be exploring the extensive history of the pocket square, from ancient nobility to the modern working man.

Today, the pocket square is a small accessory worn with a suit, the mark of a well dressed man. However, the history of the pocket square extends thousands of years, and it has known a number of different uses.  

Before men started wearing pocket squares in their breast pockets in the 19th Century, they were known simply as “handkerchiefs.” While the first handkerchiefs were used in 4000 B.C. in Ancient Egypt for special ceremonies, they started to become more popular around 2000 B.C., when wealthy Egyptians started carrying bleached linen handkerchiefs. Since silk was an exceptionally rare and expensive Chinese import, silk handkerchiefs were only used by high ranking nobility.

This is a funeral stele of Egyptian sisters holding lotus flowers and handkerchiefs.

Image Credit: Pompous Pockets

In Ancient Greece, nobility sprayed their handkerchiefs with perfume, hoping that it would mask the smell of dirty streets and the working class.  In a way, these nobles used their handkerchiefs to set themselves apart. At Urbane + Gallant, we don’t use our pocket squares to convey wealth or status (and we certainly don’t spray ours with perfume!), but we do use them as the mark of a man who cares, a man who wants to make a difference.

By the 3rd Century, the Roman emperor gave the people dyed raw silk handkerchiefs to wave around at the games as a sort of applause. Even then, each handkerchief cost the equivalent of $900 today.Beginning in the 4th Century, the Roman clergy started wearing white handkerchiefs on their left arms as a symbol of their devotion to the church. This tradition continues even today in the Catholic church with silk handkerchiefs known as maniples.

In the Middle Ages, as a knight rode off to battle, he wore a woman’s handkerchief to publicly show that he had her favor. While we may lack the swords and shining armor of centuries past, we can still fight for women’s favor and women’s rights today. There are issues like human trafficking and opportunities to make an impact in the way knights did through The Wilberforce pocket squares.

In Part II, I will be discussing the history of the pocket square up to the 20th Century.  Be sure to subscribe, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter so you never miss a post!

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