Indian terms for ‘handkerchief’ vary across the many languages spoken in the region, but are broadly referred to as rumal, meaning ‘face-wipe’. Handkerchiefs were used by both men and women for practical hygiene purposes, but at roughly a yard (91 cm) square they were also large enough to be used as clothing. In the painting on the left, the man at the far right is wearing a red Madras handkerchief tied around his head, and the man in the centre is holding a blue Madras handkerchief under his arm. Look at how their handkerchiefs compare to a real example on the right.

Observe: The rumal on the right is similar to the handkerchief tucked under the arm of the man in the middle of the painting on the left.

Captions:
Left: Painting of three couples Unknown artist Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, c.1830 V&A, IS.39:18-1987
Right: Length of blue Madras rumals (handkerchiefs) Unknown weaver Chennai, Tamil Nadu, c.1855 V&A, 4859(IS)