The Biggest Bow in the Kingdom

About this drawing

Look closely at a princess with big bow and you will spot a very old kind of decoration. A bow is just a ribbon tied in a knot with two loops. It sounds simple, yet it has been holding clothes together for hundreds of years.

Long ago, dresses did not have zippers. Those came much later. Instead, clothes closed with laces and ribbons, so a bow was a handy way to keep things in place! Then people noticed that bows looked pretty, too. Soon they moved to sleeves, hats, and hair.

The fanciest ribbons were woven from silk. Silk comes from tiny caterpillars called silkworms, and the thread first came from China. It was so costly that only rich families could buy it. In French palaces, some gowns were covered in rows of silk bows from top to bottom.

You probably tie a bow every day without thinking about it. It is the knot on your sneakers! Bows also show up on birthday gifts, ponytails, and party dresses. Tying one takes practice. Cross the two ends, make two bunny ears, and pull them tight. If it comes apart, just try again. Every kid who can tie a bow got it wrong plenty of times first.

• princesses
• bows
• gowns
• kids