Foldout, The Art of Tying the Cravat: Demonstrated in Sixteen Lessons, Including Thirty-two Different Styles . . . , Lesson IV: Cravate à l’Américaine and Plate C: Cravat Styles

According to H. LeBlanc, the cravat, a precursor to the necktie, “should not be considered as a mere ornament . . . [but, instead] a criterion by which the rank of the wearer may be at once distinguished, and is of itself ‘a letter of introduction.’” The cravat is a short, wide band of fabric worn around the neck. It was worn as a fashion statement and became increasingly extravagant. For the more expensive cravats, the ends were trimmed with lace or embroidered and only the finest fabrics were used. Because it was imperative for the viewer to be able to “read” the patterns of the lace ends, tying the cravat became an important exercise. The American tied cravat was formed into a column (“destined to support a Corinthian capital”) by a well-starched handkerchief and was called the “Independence” by the fashionables of the New World. The list of styles details the intricacies of the variety of knot-tying but, importantly, the reader is warned that the greatest insult to a man is to seize him by the cravat and that the cravat should be loosened before the commencement of important business. Finally, the reader is reminded that if his cravat is elegantly formed even if his coat is not of the latest cut, he will be received with the “most distinguished marks of respect.”