March 6, 2026

Life Back Then | A Pocket Full of Charm: The Story of the Hanky

Chances are your grandmother, mother, or aunt all had a stash of handkerchiefs, or ‘hankies.’ And perhaps you are like me, with your own stash of hankies handed down from a relative.

Once used for cozy tea parties or coy messaging to a sweetheart, hankies now spark our imagination. Soft to the touch and elegantly or boldly decorated in vivid colors, many display monogrammed initials, names, or often the word ‘mother.’ Some may have pretty flower or bird designs. And most boast elaborately scalloped or lacy edges.

Although hankies in our grandmother’s time were more of a fashion accessory, hankies date back to ancient times and with varying uses.

From Utility to Romance to Fashion

*Hankies at Saline’s Quilting Season Store. Courtesy of the Quilting Season.*

Handkerchiefs have been found in many cultures around the world and archaeological evidence shows that hankies date back to 1,000 BC in China, with figures from the Chou dynasty shown to be holding pieces of cloth. These cloths were used in ancient times with endless utility; to wipe a sweaty brow or shield the face from the sun. They were also used for bandaging wounds or a wallet for coins.

Fast forward several centuries and we find that the ancient Romans would wave their handkerchiefs to signal the beginning of the open-air games and show appreciation for sport.

By the Middle Ages hankies became linked to romance and the secret language of love. This was a time when knights would tie a lady’s handkerchief to their helmet as a token of good luck, or ladies would drop their hankies hoping an eligible bachelor would pick one up. Lovers would exchange handkerchiefs, and just by the way a hanky was decorated – perhaps a special embroidered pattern or even singed edges – would indicate the depth of their passion.

By the 14^th and 15^th centuries trade and culture along the Silk Road boomed, and hankies doubled as headscarves. Surprisingly, it was not until the 15^th century that hankies were known to be used for wiping your nose, when supposedly Desiderius Erasmus declared that it was inappropriate to wipe your nose on your sleeve.

In 18^th century Paris oversized and elaborate silk hankies were quite the fashion – until King Louis XVI declared that no hanky could be larger than his wife’s – Marie Antoinette – even noting the limit to a 16”x16” square.

The Decline and Resurge of Hankies

Surprisingly, the global flu pandemic of 1918 helped contribute to the decline of the hanky when the throwaway Kleenex tissue developed the slogan “Don’t carry your cold in your pocket” and by the early 1960s the decorative hanky eventually fell out of use.

In recent years, however, the dainty hanky has been making a comeback. And if you are hankering for a hanky or two, you are in luck! Saline’s Quilting Season store is having a sale of recently donated hankies March 14 and 15.

These hankies were almost discarded, but Quilting Season owner Mary Lindquist states “We accept practically anything that people want to give away dealing with any kind of sewing.” And when someone offered tubs of hankies that were destined for the dump, Lindquist readily took them in.

And if you’re at a loss of what to do with your hanky, Lindquist goes on to say that they have a list and examples of many ways to fashion a hanky, including quilts, table runners, tea party favors, baby bonnets, sachets, gift bags and envelopes, and hanky angels to name just a few.

So go ahead, try some hanky panky. After all, “What feminine heart doesn’t weaken when it comes to hankies?” (Saline Observer December 16, 1926, advertisement for Hutzel’s in Ann Arbor).