Cravat (early)
The cravat (
From the end of the 16th century, the term band applied to any long-strip neckcloth that was not a ruff. The ruff, a starched, pleated white linen strip, originated earlier in the 16th century as a neckcloth (readily changeable, to minimize the soiling of a doublet), as a bib, or as a napkin. A band could be either a plain, attached shirt collar, or a detachable "falling band" that draped over the doublet collar. It is possible that initially, cravats were worn to hide soil on shirts.[2]
History
According to 1828 encyclopedic The art of tying the cravat: demonstrated in sixteen lessons, the Romans were the first to wear knotted kerchiefs around their necks, but the modern version of the cravat (French: la cravate) originated in the 1660s. During the reign of
In 1660 a regiment of Croats arrived in France — a part of their singular costume excited the greatest admiration, and was immediately and generally imitated; this was a tour de cou, made (for the private soldiers) of common lace, and of muslin or silk for the officers; the ends were arranged en rosette, or ornamented with a button or tuft, which hung gracefully on the breast. This new arrangement, which confined the throat but very slightly, was at first termed a Croat, since corrupted to Cravat. The Cravats of the officers and people of rank were extremely fine, and the ends were embroidered or trimmed with broad lace; those for the lower classes were subsequently made of cloth or cotton, or at the best of black taffeta, plaited: Which was tied round the neck by two small strings.[3]
Often the Dubrovnik poet Ivan Gundulić is credited with the invention of the cravat, due to a portrait hanging in the Rector's Palace, Dubrovnik. The scholar depicted in the painting looks very much like the frontispiece to his Osman published in 1844. However, considering the hairstyle, this portrait is more probably a later portrait of his namesake Dživo (Ivan) Šiškov Gundulić, also a Dubrovnik poet. In their honor, Croatia celebrates Cravat Day on October 18.[4]
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Portrait of Ivan Gundulić (1622–1630)
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Frontispiece for Osman, 1844
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A Regency-style neckcloth tied in a bow on a Grafton collar
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An image from the 1818 Neckclothitania satirizing different cravat knots
On returning to England from exile in 1660, Charles II imported with him the latest new word in fashion: "A cravatte is another kind of adornment for the neck being nothing else but a long towel put about the Collar, and so tyed before with a Bow Knott; this is the original of all such Wearings; but now by the Art and Inventions of the seamsters, there is so many new ways of making them, that it would be a task to name, much more to describe them".[5]
During the wars of
The
Gallery
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Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, wearing a cravat
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An unknown man wearing a cravat in the early 19th century
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ColonelIsaac Barrewearing a cravat in the mid-18th century
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Thomas Tooke wearing a cravat in the late 18th century
See also
References
- ^ Frucht 2004, p. 457.
- ^ a b Coffignon, A. (1888). Paris vivant. Les coulisses de la mode. La librairie illustrée. Paris, FR. p. 104.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ ISBN 978-1-145-53416-2).
- Atlantic Media Company. Archived from the originalon 15 April 2014.
- ^ Randle Holme, Academy of Armory and Blazon, 1688.
Sources
- Frucht, Richard C. (2004). Eastern Europe: An introduction to the people, lands, and culture. Vol. 2. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-800-6.
External links
- The dictionary definition of cravat (early) at Wiktionary
- Le Blanc, H., Esq. (1828). The art of tying the cravat: Demonstrated in sixteen lessons. p. 13 – via Internet Archive (archive.org),
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ISBN 978-1-145-53416-2).