One day I’m working in the store and overhear an older lady say, ” No thank you, I’m kinda fussy. I have alot. I collect hankies.” I’m not sure why my ears shot up like a well-trained hunting dog, but something told me to go talk to this woman. She could probably teach me something about these vintage linens….
Hankies are like aprons. They hearken back to a simpler time. Before Kleenex. They were for allergies and colds (so we were a little unclear about the germ theory) and tears. Tears of sadness. Loss. Good-byes. And of gladness. Weddings, and births. They were tokens of affection and commemoration.
So I spoke with Wanda McCormick that day and asked her if anyone had ever inventoried her collection. Had it ever been photographed? It was quite an honor to get that opportunity to photograph most of her collection. They were in over 20 photo albums. Categorized by subject or type of hankie. embroidered or silk hankies had there own album. The others were printed and you could see the shift in colors as manufacturers developed techniques for dying and reproduction. There are obvious trends over the decades and you can pick up on that looking at the artistic styles. They cover cities, states, countries, commemorative events, animals, flowers, children, seasons…
Wanda seemed to enjoy sharing her collection because she feels not just anybody can appreciate hankies. Well, we can. Her collection is an American treasure that should be left to a museum. Here are some of the hankies in a slideshow. I will continue to add more. There are 160 pictures total to post. It was an amazing opportunity and I never know where The Legacy will lead me. We have the most interesting customers…
