Belgian souvenir handkerchief

Silk handkerchief with a border of Belgian lace. In one corner is an embroidered image of the Ypres Cloth Hall, with embroidered roses above and 'YPRES Souvenir de Belgique' embroidered below.

The provenance of this handkerchief is unknown, but it is typical of souvenirs purchased by military personnel in Belgium during the First World War. The handkerchief, showing an intact Ypres Cloth Hall, may have been made before the war and sold to an Australian soldier serving in Belgium during the war. The Cloth Hall was built in the 13th century and was completed in 1304. It was left in ruins after the First World War and was reconstructed between 1933 and 1967. Many popular textile souvenirs made and sold during the war featured the Cloth Hall on fire in 1916.