COMMEMORATIVE PAPER HANDKERCHIEF
A portrait of Field Marshal Lord Kitchener. (US LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)
In the sixteenth century handkerchiefs were not only expensive gifts, but a status symbol. By the end of the nineteenth century, however, advances in both the method of manufacture and materials used had ensured that handkerchiefs were available to all.
Almost anyone could afford a pocket ‘hanky’, and by the outbreak of war in 1914 they ranged from materials such as fine silk to cotton handkerchiefs for the working class, the latter costing a penny apiece. They were even being sold to commemorate notable events, such as coronations or jubilees, or as souvenirs of places of interest.
