A Steinkirk was a white cravat, not knotted, but fastened so loosely as to seem folded rather than tied, twisted sometimes twice or thrice, with one or both ends passed through a buttonhole of the coat. Ladies wore them, as well as men, arranged with equal appearance of careless negligence; and the soft diagonal folds of linen and lace made a pretty finish at the throat, as pretty as any high neck-dressing could be. These cravats were called Steinkirks after the battle of Steinkirk, when some of the French princes, not having time to perform an elaborate toilet before going into action, hurriedly twisted their lace cravats about their necks and pulled them through a buttonhole, simply to fix them safely in place. The fashionable world eagerly followed their example. It is curious that the Steinkirk should have been popular in England, where the name might rather have been a bitter avoidance. The battle of Steinkirk took place in 1694. An early English allusion to the neckwear thus named is in _The Relapse_, which was acted in 1697. In it the Semstress says, “I hope your Lordship is pleased with your Steenkirk.” His Lordship answers with eloquence, “In love with it, stap my vitals! Bring your bill, you shall be paid tomorrow!” The Steinkirk, both for men’s and women’s wear, came to America very promptly, and was soon widely worn. The dashing, handsome figure of young King Carter gives an illustration of the pretty studied negligence of the Steinkirk. I have seen a Steinkirk tie on at least twenty portraits of American gentlemen, magistrates, and officers; some of them were the royal governors, but many were American born and bred, who never visited Europe, but turned eagerly to English fashions. “King” Carter in Youth, by Sir Godfrey Kneller. “King” Carter in Youth, by Sir Godfrey Kneller. Certain old families have preserved among their ancient treasures a very long oval brooch with a bar across it from end to end—the longest way of the brooch. These are set sometimes with topaz or moonstone, garnet, marcasite, heliotropium, or paste jewels. Many wonder for what purpose these were used. They were to hold the lace Steinkirk in place, when it was not pulled through the buttonhole. The bar made it seem like a tongueless buckle—or perhaps it was like a long, narrow buckle to which a brooch pin had been affixed to keep it firmly in place. The cravat, tied and twisted in Steinkirk form, or more simply folded, long held its place in fashionable dress. “The stock with buckle made of paste Has put the cravat out of date,” wrote Whyte in 1742. With this quotation we will turn from neckwear until a later period. CHAPTER VII CAPS AND BEAVERS IN COLONIAL DAYS _“So many poynted cappes Lased with double flaps And soe gay felted cappes Saw I never. “So propre cappes So lyttle hattes And so false hartes Saw I never.” _ —“The Maner of the World Nowe-a-dayes,” JOHN SKELTON, 1548.