2,000 Years of the Necktie
Lord Byron's Legacy

by David Johnson

NECKTIES
THROUGH THE AGES

Introduction

• 210 B.C.
China's First Emperor

• 113 A.D.
Did Romans Wear Ties?

• 17th Century
Croatian Cravats for the King of France

Cravats Go to England

Real Men Wear Lace

• 18th Century
Cowboy Bandannas from India

Sailing the Seven Seas

• 19th Century
Business Suit Takes Shape

Cambridge & Oxford School Ties

Ties Fit for Officers and Gentlemen

Bow Ties Center Stage

A Tie Singing Dixie

Lord Byron's Legacy

Women Tie the Knot, Too!

• 20th Century
Paris Presents Designer Ties

Celebrities & Rock Stars

Ascots Cross Finish Line

Bolo: The Tie That Won the West

Turtleneck: The Anti-Tie

Ironically several ties have been named after the romantic poet, Lord Byron, who seldom wore any sort of neck cloth. The first Byron was a big floppy bow in white, brown or black appeared in the 1820s. In the 1840s, a Byron was made of string or narrow ribbon, while after the 1860s it was a large, often readymade bow.