A Brief History Of The Pocket Square
The term handkerchief itself is translated from Greek and refers to a thick sweat cloth of linen.
"So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them."
Acts 19:12
Before we get into it there's not much that needs to be said on the pocket square(style wise) other than... don't match your tie. Compliment? Yes. Match? No. With that said, lets get into it...
The history of the pocket square is like many style staples, a history of necessity and accessory, practical and fashionable. It's story, also like many others, is a shared history, shared this time with the handkerchief, which dates back to at least ancient Egypt. A long, complex history fitting for something that gets stuffed into a pocket.
4000 BC
The first linen fabrics used for ceremonial "pocket squares" were found at Hierakonpolis. The linen had been colored with a red oxide powder which did not truly dye the linen. Washing would remove the color, which supports the theory that these linens were purely ornamental.
2,000 BC
Wealthy Egyptians carry squares made of bleached white linen. Handkerchiefs in linen's natural color of off-white are also used. Silk from China is available in very limited quantities and only the highest ranked nobles have silk handkerchiefs.
5th-4th century BC
In Greece perfumed cotton handkerchiefs known as a mouth(or perspirator) cloth are used by wealthy citizens.
3rd-2nd Century BC
In Rome gladiators parade around the Coliseum before the start of the day's games. They stop in front of the emperor's podium and shout: "Ave Caesar, morituri te salutant! (Hail Caesar, they who will die, salute you!)" At that point the emperor would have a magistrate drop a handkerchief, called an orarium, to signal the beginning of the games.
3rd Century
Roman emperor Aurelian further popularizes handkerchiefs by introducing the practice of giving people small handkerchiefs made of silk or linen which were waved by the common people as a token of applause at the games. At this time a blatta serica (raw silk dyed purple) cost 130,000 denarii, or the the equivalent of 1,250 US dollars in 2024.
4th century
Roman clergy wear a white linen ceremonial handkerchief (pallium linostinum) over the left arm. Over the next 500 years the pallium linostinum evolves into a strip of silk, known as a mappula, that was carried in the left hand by Christian priests. By the 12th century the mappula was known as a maniple and carried over the left arm.
9th Century
Italian nobles carry handkerchiefs in their left hands.
Italian nobles carry handkerchiefs in their left hands.
10th century
Egyptians weave luxurious squares of linen, silk brocade, and tissue thin wool and silk called Khazz.
Middle Ages
Handkerchiefs are worn by knights in tournaments as a symbol of a ladies favor.
Around 1390 King Richard the Second popularizes handkerchiefs in England.
In 14th century French nobles begin to sport handkerchiefs. These handkerchiefs were made of silk, often heavily embroidered, were found in many shapes, including circles and triangles, and often scented as protection from the smells resulting from a lack hygiene.
18th century
Legend has it that Marie Antoinette complained to her husband Louis XVI that handkerchiefs were too large to be fashionable. So, in 1785 he ordered that handkerchiefs should have lengths equal to their width.
19th Century
With the raise in popularity of the two piece suit the handkerchief is given a prominent position in the ensemble... the jacket pocket.
20th Century
By the early 1900s no fashionable man leaves the house without a pocket square in the left breast pocket of his jacket.
With the invention of disposable facial tissue in the 1920s the handkerchief becomes almost entirely aesthetic. And there you have it... the modern pocket square is born, and the rest... is history.