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((Short description|Piece of cloth for personal use))
((multiple issues|
 ((original research|date=February 2017))
 ((More citations needed|date=January 2011))
))
((wikt | handkerchief))
[[Image:Handkerchief.jpg|right|thumb|A [[linen]] handkerchief]]
[[File:Tüllspitze.jpg|thumb|A lace handkerchief]]
[[File:Cotswold Morris handkerchiefs 20040501.jpg|thumb|Morris dancers with handkerchiefs in Oxford]]
A '''handkerchief''' (((IPAc-en|ˈ|h|æ|ŋ|k|ər|tʃ|ɪ|f)); also called a '''hankie''' or, historically, a '''handkercher''' or a '''((linktext|fogle))'''<ref>((oed | fogle)) - " fogle [...] ''slang''. Now ''archaic''. A handkerchief or neckerchief, usually made of silk."</ref>) is a form of a [[kerchief]] or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin [[fabric]] which can be carried in the [[pocket]] or [[handbag]] for personal [[hygiene]] purposes such as wiping one's [[hand]]s or face, or [[nose-blowing |blowing one's nose]]. A handkerchief is also sometimes used as a purely decorative accessory in the breast pocket of a [[suit]]; it can then be called a '''pocket square'''. A handkerchief is also an important accessory in many [[folk dance | folk-dance]]s in many regions like the [[Balkans]] and the [[Middle East]]; an example of a folk-dance featuring handkerchiefs is the Greek [[Kalamatianos |Kalamatianós]].

==Modern usage==
The material of a handkerchief can be symbolic of the socio-economic class of the user, not only because some materials are more expensive, but because some materials are more absorbent and practical for those who use a handkerchief for more than style.  Handkerchiefs can be made of [[cotton]], cotton-synthetic blend, synthetic fabric, [[silk]], or [[linen]].
[[File:Our home physician- a new and popular guide to the art of preserving health and treating disease; with plain advice for all the medical and surgical emergencies of the family (1869) (14777904994).jpg|thumb|upright|Handkerchief used for stopping bleeding]]
Handkerchiefs are also used as an impromptu way to carry around small items when a bag or basket is unavailable. They could also serve as a substitute for a bandage over a small injury.  In the [[United Kingdom]], the habit of wearing a handkerchief with tied corners on one's head at the beach has become a [[Seaside postcard#British seaside postcards|seaside postcard]] stereotype.
[[File:Monty Python Live 02-07-14 12 27 13 (14415368570).jpg|thumb|Knotted handkerchief hat]]
From the late 18th century white handkerchiefs were waved, generally by women (men usually waved their hats), to demonstrate approval at public events such as processions or political rallies.<ref>"Mr. PITT's carriage was nearly the last...he was received with very general applause; the ladies waving their white handkerchiefs from the windows as he passed." "The Procession To St. Paul's". Times [London, England], 20 December 1797, p.&nbsp;2.</ref><ref>General Lafayette was greeted on a visit to Providence, R.I., by "nearly 200 Misses, arrayed in white", who strewed flowers in his path "at the same time waving their white handkerchiefs". "Lafayette In America". Times [London, England] 16 October 1824, p.&nbsp;2.</ref>

Using handkerchiefs to accentuate hand movements while dancing is a feature of both West African and African-American traditional dance, in the latter case especially in wedding celebrations.<ref>"Information About Dancing And Waving White Handkerchiefs In Ewe Cultures Of Ghana & Togo And The Igbo Culture Of Nigeria". Edited by Azizi Powell [http://pancocojams.blogspot.co.uk].</ref> Handkerchiefs are also traditional [[accoutrements]] in certain kinds of English folk dance, such as the [[Morris dance]].

Besides their intended use, they could be used for cleaning equipment, polishing shoes, cleaning hands and face, signaling for attention, as a sweat band, [[neckerchief]], as protection from dust inhalation, to repair footwear, cut out pieces to patch clothes, cut up as emergency firearms cleaning patches, [[Molotov cocktail]] wick (fire-bomb), hot cooking utensil holder, a makeshift bandage, [[tourniquet]], or arm sling.

==Origin==
In the times of ancient Greece and Rome, handkerchiefs were often used the way they are today.((Citation needed|date=February 2018))

The word handkerchief derives from the word kerchief which came from two French words: ((lang|fr|couvrir)), which means “to cover”, and ((lang|fr|chef)), which means “head”; so a handkerchief is a similar cloth in the hand rather than on the head. (In the Middle Ages,<ref>((Cite web |title=Middle Ages – Definition, Timeline & Facts |url=https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/middle-ages |access-date=2020-10-14 |website=www.history.com))</ref> kerchiefs were often used to cover the head.)((Citation needed|date=February 2018))

Then in the 16th century, people in Europe began to carry kerchiefs in their pockets to wipe their foreheads or their noses. To distinguish this kind of kerchief from the one used to cover the head, the word "hand" was added to "kerchief".((Citation needed|date=February 2018)) This was then preferred to wiping the nose on a sleeve.

King [[Richard II of England]], who reigned from 1377 to 1399, is widely believed to have invented the cloth handkerchief, as surviving documents written by his courtiers describe his use of square pieces of cloth to wipe his nose.<ref>[[Barbara Tuchman|Tuchman, Barbara]]. ''[[A Distant Mirror]]'', 473.</ref> Certainly they were in existence by [[Shakespeare]]'s time, and a handkerchief is an important plot device in his play ''[[Othello]]''.

A handkerchief was sometimes used by Indian thugs: to take advantage of their victims, the [[thuggee|thugs]] would join travellers and gain their confidence, which would allow them to surprise and strangle the travellers with a handkerchief or noose.<ref name="David Scott Katsan 2006 141">((cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DlMUSz-hiuEC&pg=RA4-PA141|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature, Volume 1|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|page=141|year=2006|author=David Scott Katsan|isbn=9780195169218))</ref>

==Pocket square==
[[Image:Grey and navy suit on mannequin.jpg|thumb|[[Suit (clothing)|Suits]] with pocket handkerchief]]

In addition to carrying for practical purposes, handkerchiefs have long been displayed in the chest pocket of men's jackets. Used in this way, they are referred to as a '''pocket handkerchief''' or '''pocket square'''.
The trend of pocket squares as a fashion accessory really started during the 1920s, and continued until the 1960s. During that period, actors such as [[Cary Grant]], [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Gary Cooper]] wore them regularly. The pocket square subsequently fell into disuse until the late 2000s when it made a comeback thanks in part to popular television shows such as ''[[Mad Men]]''.

Pocket squares are usually made in fabrics such as silk, cotton, linen or wool.

As a visible fashion item there are a wide variety of ways to fold a pocket square,<ref>((cite web|title=  How To Fold A Pocket Square |url= https://theemodernroots.com/blogs/blog/how-to-fold-a-pocket-square-5-classic-ways|website=Thee Modern Roots | access-date=11 Jan 2024))</ref> ranging from the austere to the flamboyant:
* The Presidential, or Flat Fold, perhaps the simplest, is folded at right angles to fit in the pocket.
* The Winged Puff, a simple and elegant fold.
* The Puff or the [[Gary Cooper|Cooper]] is simply shaped into a round puff.
* The Reverse Puff, or The Crown Fold, is like the Puff, except with the puff inside and the points out, like petals.
* The Westo Four Point fold, the quickest way to achieve a four-point fold effect.
* The TV Fold looks similar but is folded diagonally with the point inside the pocket.
* The One-point Fold is folded diagonally with the point showing.
* The Two-point Fold is folded off-center so the two points do not completely overlap.
* The Three-point Fold is first folded into a triangle, then the corners are folded up and across to make three points.
* The Four-point Fold is an off-center version of the Three-point Fold.
* The [[James Cagney|Cagney]] is basically a backwards version of the Four-point Fold.
* The [[Fred Astaire|Astaire]] is a puff with a point on either side.
* The Straight Shell is pleated and then folded over to give the appearance of nested shells.
* The Diagonal Shell is pleated diagonally and then folded.

Although it is very common practice for weddings, proms, etc., many style authorities do not recommend wearing a matching (i.e., identical) pocket square and tie, as it tends to look contrived, draws attention away from the wearer's face, and displays sartorial uncertainty. Instead, the two items should coordinate without matching; for example, by matching a secondary color in the necktie's pattern to a secondary color in the pocket square's pattern.

== ''Rumāl'' ==
[[File:Chamba Rumal .jpg|thumb| ''Rumāl'' with scenes of ''[[gopi]]s'' worshiping [[Krishna]]. Late 18th to early 19th century, [[Chamba district]], [[Himachal Pradesh]], India. Ceremonial/ritual furnishing, silk embroidery on cotton. [[LACMA]] textile collection]]
((Main articles|Rumāl))
A ''rumāl'' is a small loose piece of cloth, similar to a handkerchief used to cover the head by Sikh boys, sportspersons and other guests who visit a [[Gurdwara]]. In [[Sikhism]], the ''rumal'' is held in the same regard as the [[turban]].<ref>((Cite book|last1=McLeod|first1=W. H. (William Hewat)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH_XAAAAMAAJ&q=In+Sikhism,+the+Rumal|title=Sikhism|date=1997|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=978-0-14-025260-6|page=XVIII|language=en))</ref><ref>((Cite book|last=Ryan|first=Maurice|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sE8iAQAAIAAJ&q=In+Sikhism,+the+Rumal|title=Another Ireland: An Introduction to Ireland's Ethnic-religious Minority Communities|date=1996|publisher=Stranmillis College|isbn=978-0-903009-25-6|pages=138|language=en))</ref>

=== Chamba Rumal ===
((Main articles|Chamba Rumal))
Chamba Rumal is an [[Embroidery of India|embroidered]] [[handicraft]] handkerchief of [[Chamba State|Chamba]].

==See also==
* [[Napkin]]
* [[Sachet (scented bag)|Sachet]]
* [[Facial tissue]]
* [[Antimacassar]]
* [[Dudou]], sometimes described as a handkerchief blouse
* [[Handkerchief code]]

==References==
((Reflist))

==External links==
((Commons category|Handkerchiefs))

((Authority control))

[[Category:Personal hygiene products]]
[[Category:Fashion accessories]]

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