Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
World War I commemorative handkerchief |
Object Number |
M.2016.013.2 |
Object Type |
Handkerchief |
Date |
ca. 1918 |
Place of Origin |
France |
Description |
Square silk handkerchief commemorating the Allied victory of World War I and the repayment of the United States' Revolutionary War debt to France, made in France, ca. 1918. These mass-produced handkerchiefs were symbols of the allied forces and leaders of nations who fought together, and served as a tangible memoire to send or bring back to the home front. The white, plain weave silk is printed using a two-part process of chromolithography and intaglio techniques, with four oval cartouches, featuring bust-length portraits of George Washington (titled "G. WASHINGTON"), Woodrow Wilson (titled "Président WILSON"), and the marquis de Lafayette (titled "G. LAFAYETTE") and a full-length image of the Statue of Liberty, within a quatrefoil border. In the center is the text "GLOIRE / AUX / AMÉRICAINS / Souvenir de France." The quatrefoil border is outlined with the flags of the Allied countries, with crossed flags at the points and in the corners of the handkerchief. The handkerchief has an exterior border of American flags. It appears that they may have been printed en masse, in grids of squares, using a larger yardage of silk, and subsequently cut. Some of the edges are hemmed (presumably much later), some raw and one is the selvedge, lending to the conclusion that the edges were printed red to appear hemmed or finished, also providing guidelines for cutting. |
Materials |
Silk/Pigment |
Dimensions |
11" h x 11" w |
Credit Line |
Museum purchase, 2016 |