How many dots?

 Polka Dots!

Jill St John

Dots.
They’ve been with us for a very long time!

One might even say from the very beginning, as we find polka dots all throughout creation.

Fly Agaric, or Fairy Toadstool

Trapezia rufopuretata photo credit: I_van

I believe this is a type of coral crab

Indian Pass Fern

Panther Grouper. Photo cred: Steve_Coney1973

As early as 756 China, and then Japan,

used a Shibori fabric dying technique similar to tie dying. It was a pattern of white dots on an indigo background.

Corrigan Studios, Wayfair; shibori fabric swatch

In 12th century Africa we see mud cloth with graphic, bold dot patterns.

Ancient Indonesia had a dye technique of Batik that frequently had lines of dots.

Australian Aboriginal art has used dot patterns for centuries. They have created a very distinctive style called 

“Dot Painting”.

Downloaded to Pinterest by christina raftopol

So why ‘Polka’ Dots?

“La Polka” artist:  Serge Ivanoff, 1937

A couple things happened about the same time.

Arm C&ndy

Around 1840 there was a dance craze called ‘Polka Dance’.

Everyone was doing the Polka!

In fact, lots of things got named with polka, like polka pudding, and polka suspenders.

The term Polka Dot stuck.

Vintage Avon

At the same time the Industrial Revolution was in full swing.

Machinery became more complex, and capable of making round polka dotted fabric.

No more tedious hand stitching!

1885 polka dot dress

Since then polka dots have been up and down in popularity, but never completely disappearing from fashion and interior design.

Pinterest, Umbrellas and Parasols

Marilyn Monroe in iconic polka dotted swimsuit

In the 1950’s polka dots were ‘The’ thing. Because of film and movie we still associate that era with polka dots.

Movie Actress Vera Ellen, 1951; welovecycling

Barbie in classic 1950’s couture 

The 60’s enjoyed large, bold polka dots.

Yves Saint Laurent 1967; photo cred: Tom Kublin

From Godey’s Lady’s Book of 1857

to China’s Empress Dowager, 1905

to Frank Sinatra’s “Polka Dots & Moonbeams” of the 1940’s,

to the subtler, softer dots of the 1980’s

And

hitting the fashion runways of 2010

I can safely say

Polka Dots are here to stay!

Photo credit Julia Barn

Wayfair 4 piece set

Vintage sunglasses, Liquid Rainbow Arts

Tulle fashion socks

I hope you have enjoyed this little walk through history about polka dots.

Feel free to get your flamenco dress out and do a little Polka Dance

while eating sprinkle doughnuts!

Manuela Vargas, rehearsal ‘Tigress of the Flamenco’, Getty Images

‘Til next time,

inkspired

A few of the sites I gathered information from:

Pinterest

Cosmopolitan.com (Lauren Adher)

Shutterstock.com (Kiera Coffee)

Clothandstitch.com

Clairejustineoxox.com

Wikipedia.com

Polkadotit.com