Or... they could be laid across the table beneath facing plates, as runners.
Or... they could be tri-folded as place mats and turned as they soiled. I'm
thinking the way napkins were used then may not be the way napkins are used
now. It may well have been in a Blackadder episode, but nudging my visual
recall is a portly gentleman tucking or buttoning a floor-mat sized napkin
over his collar, protecting every garment that covered his 3-X belly. I'll
be watching this list for the real answer.

Oh Indigo, we've got to get you out of the 21st century for a moment. More
cleaning options now? My Irish ancestors were the cleaning options then!
Every woman worth her china setting had two or three Irish girls in the
laundry. Bet you don't wear starched white collars out to your shoulders
each day!

Micki



-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Indigo Nights
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2005 10:33 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: colossal napkins


Just a speculation here.  Could the napkins of yore
been significantly larger because there was a need to
protect one's clothing fully?  As one who winds up
wearing a good deal of my food on my (ample) chest, it
bugs me that napkins don't really cover the areas that
need to be covered, and I have cleaning and laundry
options that weren't available back when.  Since folks
were reported to have had far fewer outfits, and far
fewer options for laundry, perhaps they needed to be
more of a protection device than they are today.



Indigo Nights
[log in to unmask]

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