A History of the Polka Dot

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Spotted patterns existed long before the term “polka dot” was coined. In many cultures, they were associated with magic and male potency. Ancient Egyptians used dots in hieroglyphics to represent the sun. Dots can be found in art across the world.

However, throughout the Renaissance, they were considered distasteful in the Western world. Patterns were not uniform and could easily resemble the marks of smallpox, the…