Indigo & White Linen Bordered Handkerchief, reproduced from the collection of the  by Burnley & Trowbridge Co.

This Indigo & White Linen Bordered Handkerchief is reproduced from the collection of the . Dated to the last quarter of the 18th century, it was said to have been owned by Anna Avery.  This style of handkerchief was originally produced in the West Indies and worn by both men and women.   painted a number of portraits in which people of Dominica wore this style of handkerchief as head or neck coverings, and even at the waist.  As with other desirable West Indies textiles, it was quickly copied by England & manufactured of linen or a linen and cotton blend.  A red bordered handkerchief survives in the Holker collection, manufactured for the western and West African markets, where loomed patterns like this, and the style were preferred.   

Our Indigo & White Linen Bordered handkerchief is