I do know that early 19th-century napkins were much larger that ones used today. For example, "The Workman's Guide" of 1838 recommends that dinner napkins (of fine damask) measure "14 nails." A nail is 2-1/4 inches, so that would make the napkin about 31-1/2 inches. Not quite what we are accustomed to (and not quite 50" x 22"). Still, I'd do a little more investigating before totally dismissing the "napkin theory." Cheryl -----Original Message----- From: Rebecca Fitzgerald [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2005 10:22 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: colossal napkins As Claire stated: "The peculiar thing is that they apparenlty measure 50 inches by 22 inches." I don't believe these were napkins or hankerchiefs. 50 X 22" is approximately 4 feet X 2 feet. The comical image of some poor guy tripping over his hankerchief comes to mind. And although I've had dinner guests that I wish had used napkins this large, I've never seen a reference to them! I did a little investigation and found the link below to some antique embroidered towels. I'm guessing that what you have is a whole set of towels - perhaps part of some bride's trousseau? http://www.emsheart.com/merchandise/items/G08704%20Best%20Antqiue%20Society% 20Silk%20embroidered%20towel.htm Please let us know what they turn out to be. Becky Fitzgerald Susquehanna Museum ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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).