We sneezed our way through last week; this week let’s write about our trusty sidekick: the hanky. Will the handkerchief in your scene be catching sneezes, or waving farewell? Will it mop up a sweaty brow, or veil a sneaky smile?

S. Shattuck, Untitled, before 1865. Photograph. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Nickolas Muray, Man on Subway, ca. 1922-1961. Photograph. George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY.

Unknown, [Young woman, full-length portrait, wearing lace dress, standing, facing right, waving handkerchief], ca. 1900. Photograph. Library of Congress, Washington, DC.