Okay, it's bad enough that I relied upon a BBC reality show for my 
guess, but Wikipedia?! Black Adder? C'mon, you guys are supposed to 
set a good example for me!

I believe that it would have been declasse in the 1800s to tuck a 
napkin under one's chin just as it considered so today. Anyone 
familiar with manners manuals of the period?

Not that I'm an expert in the area, but the 31x31 measurement sounds 
reasonable for a banquet napkin (my grandmother's are close to that 
dimension), so I think Rebecca Fitzgerald's guess of a towel is much 
more likely. What would a linen or damask towel be used for is what 
I'm left wondering.

---Amy West

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).