Harvard Crimson is first worn by the school’s sports team.

Members of the crew team wear red silk handkerchiefs on their heads that were purchased by Crowninshield and (Charles W.) Eliot at the C.F. Hovey & Company store to distinguish themselves from other teams taking part in an upcoming regatta on the Charles River. Prior to this, according to Mary Caroline Crawford, members of the crew team were “in the habit of rowing in their ordinary underclothing, wearing miscellaneous hats and caps.”