#1920s Drop Your Handkerchief

This is a tweaked repost  in honor of Miss Viola, the mother of my friend Meg:

For Christmas I decided to buy some pretty handkerchiefs for Miss Viola, the mother of a friend of mine. Miss Vi calls me her “other daughter,” and that’s a good feeling for someone who lost her mother in 1987. She and my mother were friends as well. How wonderful that Miss Vi still uses actual cloth hankies instead of paper tissues!

During the research process of purchasing, I discovered handkerchief holders, lovely satin confections to keep a lady’s hankies straight and neat after ironing. Vintage handkerchief holders summon the past into the present. Of course I had to buy one for Miss Vi, and I couldn’t resist ordering three others for myself. Hers was from the 1950s, and I didn’t think to get a photo of it before Christmas. I’ll get one later on to share. I know my friend Meg took one of her mother holding it, along with the new hankies. For now, I’m sharing photos of the three I bought for myself. Although I’ve never been a frilly person, I absolutely love these.

The rare handkerchief holder above is from the 1920s. It’s the bee’s knees, the cat’s meow, and the snake’s hips! With the goddess Epona plunging back to the Roaring 20’s in my novel Mind Your Goddess, I just had to have it. Don’t you just adore clothing from that era — bejeweled head coverings, beaded handbags, tasseled flapper dresses? Note the sassy red silk hanky peeking out of the top.

This next one is from the 1940s. The design and the feel of the material itself are reminiscent of that wartime era. I can see its owner, a hardworking woman hurrying to the factory with stocking lines drawn up the backs of her calves due to nylon shortages.

Here is what the 1940s one looks like when opened and unfolded. Pretty!

Below is an English style handkerchief holder from the 1950s. Doesn’t it make you think of sipping tea in Miss Marple’s rose garden? Perhaps we should have a cup of Earl Grey.

1950s handkerchief holder

If you like vintage, my book Mind Your Goddess may be right down your alley! Set in the 1920s, it’s a fast-paced adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat. Grab your copy here!

Cheers & Happy Reading!

Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic in Romance