The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 9, 2026

A square, off-white linen handkerchief oriented as a diamond features a translucent center and a dense opaque border. In one corner, a small crest is embroidered in white, depicting a crown atop a circular leaf wreath surrounding stylized, intertwined letters. Numerous creases and wrinkles mark the textile's surface.

Handkerchief

1800s

France

linen: embroidery
Overall: 39.3 x 39.3 cm (15 1/2 x 15 1/2 in.)
The Frances McIntosh Sherwin Collection 1936.64
Location: Not on view

Description

There is an initial E (for Empress Eugenie) and a crown embroidered in one corner of this handkerchief.
  • Underhill, Gertrude. “The Frances McIntosh Sherwin Collection of Lace.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 23, no. 4 (1936). p. 53–54 www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Handkerchief|url=false|author=|year=1800s|access-date=09 August 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1936.64