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The White Hanky

The White Hanky

December 20, 2024
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A symbol of purity, innocence, and loss

Guest edited by Mira Gupta

The white hanky, a simple yet versatile piece of cloth, has held a significant symbolic weight in literature, poetry and art throughout history. Its stark, unadorned colour, often associated with purity, innocence, and surrender, has made it a powerful tool for conveying complex emotions and themes.

One of the white hanky's most common symbolic associations is purity and innocence. White is often seen as a symbol of cleanliness, virtue, and spiritual enlightenment. In many cultures, white is the colour brides wear, signifying their purity and innocence before marriage. Similarly, the white hanky can represent the purity of childhood or the innocence of a lost love.


Image: Handkerchief, third quarter of the 19th century, Swiss, cotton. Image courtesy of Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Carll H. de Silver, 1909.
Image above: Handkerchief, second quarter of the 19th century, American, cotton. Image courtesy of Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Alyce Stern, 1961. 

In Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I Could Not Stop for Death," Death carries the speaker away in a carriage. The speaker notes, "He kindly stopped for me," suggesting a gentle and almost welcoming approach to death. As they pass a school, the speaker sees children playing. It is a poignant moment, highlighting the contrast between the innocence of childhood and the inevitability of death. The white hanky could be seen as a symbol of this lost innocence, a reminder of the carefree days of youth that have been forever altered.

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