Amazing Graceful Lace

Did you know that lace has
a scandalous history?

In the 1990's when I was going through my
 "Victorian decorating phase",
I received a wonderful book
about the colorful history
of this beloved handiwork.

It was so incredibly interesting...
it changed the way I thought about lace forever!

So I thought I would share
a little of its history with you...

Ancient Egyptians and Romans slept on linens
as finely woven as those used by the 16th century Venetians.
In the 1540's Venetian embroiderers began
adding cutwork and lacey embellishments to their linens.

In the 19th century, machine lace was invented,
but for over 300 years it was used
for personal adornment
of aristocratic men and women.

It was enormously expensive to buy
and wealthy noblemen's outfits rivaled the womens
as they festooned themselves
with ridiculous amounts of lace
--- including 4,000 yards for one outfit
worn by Henry III of France.

King Henry III of France . Photo credit: wn.com

By the 18th century women had caught up
with their male counterparts and French lace
became so widely popular among the rich
that kings worried about the balance of trade.

They passed laws forbidding
the import of foreign laces.
Smugglers effortlessly began
bringing in their goods
using a wide variety of ingenious ploys
to include baking it into loaves of bread,
or swaddling their laces around babies.

Stealing lace became as widely popular as
stealing jewels -- even more so
since there were no fake versions of lace.

Thieves became so adept at stealing lace,
women were advised to ride in coaches
with their back to the driver so that
robbers could not slash the back of the coach and
grab their lace collars and headdresses from them!

Lace was a beloved adornment of
Catherine de Medicis and Mary Queen of the Scots
who hired poor laborers to produce one inch
of finely detailed lace per day.

The lace makers working conditions
were poor and the quality of their work
was often under tight restrictions.
Pieces could be deemed unacceptable
if haline grasse (bad breath) spoiled the color of the lace
and working near a warm smokey fire was
out of the question. Many lace makers would
spend winter months in cow barns
relying on the warmth of the bovine
to ward off the cold to enable
them to meet tight order deadlines.

The threads they used back then
made our current thread look like a rope!
Their threads were made from flax
which is no longer grown.
The flax threads we have today
are one-fifth as fine as the old threads.

Machine made netting was first available in 1764,
but in 1808 John Heathcoat perfected
a loom that made fabrics
that rivaled the laces made by hand.

As the 19th century progressed,
mills began popping up all over England
and soon the middle classes were able
to buy fine fabrics and textiles.

Soon fine linens were in every well-appointed home.
 Houses were filled with fine fabrics
from top to bottom -- 
including curtains, pillows, towels and bedding,
all machine made affordable and beautiful.

From Tricia Foley's book.... taken by Lilo Raymond.

Vintage or antique linens
brought down from attics or rescued from
antique shops are experiencing a renaissance.
Embued with a sense of romantic history,
these lace treasures are appreciated
for the beauty they bring into our homes.

Also from Tricia's book, taken by Lilo Raymond.

Pretty interesting, right?
Are you a textile or lace collector?

Third and final photo from Tricia's book, taken by Lilo Raymond.

This fantastic book:

Linens and Lace
by Tricia Foley
Copyright 1990
Clarkson N. Potter
New York, New York


(All photos are mine
unless credited otherwise.)