Rare American Civil War Era Gentleman’s Pleated Cravat Bow Tie Circa 1863

Over 150 years old, this authentic American Civil War era cravat and bow tie date to circa 1863. It is entirely hand sewn and made from finely woven black wool, silk satin and lined with striped brown and black silk. Finally, the interior is faced around the lower edge with thin, cream silk ribbon. 


Aside from the fact that this is such an early bow tie, its most remarkable attribute is that it was designed to be easily removed, and is adjustable in sizing. 

It is believed that this comes from an estate find that was somewhere between Dayton to Columbus, Ohio region, where a number of famous politicians and wealthy merchants lived during this era. 

However, another bow tie such as this is found at the Charleston Museum, Charleston, South Carolina. Their bow tie, with stiff insert, is described as one that was possibly worn by Abraham Lincoln (reference: Charleston Museum blog, February 12, 2013). Indeed, the photograph taken of Lincoln during the year 1863 shows him wearing a tie that is almost exactly like the one in The Charleston Museum. Although Lincoln most certainly did not wear this cravat and bow tie listed here, the style is also almost exactly the same. 

In an attempt to photograph how the cravat and tie look on a gentleman’s neck, I enlisted one of my studio assistants to model the cravat & bow tie in a reproduction, period styled photograph. The sepia toned photo to the right is the end result. 

The cravat easily slips into place around the neck with almost a spring action, and attaches into itself by slipping through a simple sleeve at the back. 

If one looks quite closely…and under strong light such as what you may see in the photographs…there is an india ink stamp that appears to read 17 1/2. It measures approximately 18.5 inches in length or 47 cm and fits up to a 17.5 inch or 44.5 cm neck measurement.