A History of Lace - 1875
7/9/24 (updated 11/29/25)“A History of Lace” (1875) by Mrs. Bury Palliser is a comprehensive survey of the development of lace from its origins in early needlework and embroidery traditions to the highly specialized lace industries of early modern Europe. Palliser traces how simple decorative borders evolved into distinct lace techniques and styles, and how these in turn reflected changes in fashion, taste, and technology across several centuries.The book is organized largely by region and type, with substantial chapters on Italian, Flemish, French, Spanish, English, and Irish laces, explaining characteristic stitches, designs, and materials such as needle lace, bobbin lace, and particular patterns like Venetian reticella, point de France, Valenciennes, Chantilly, and point d’Espagne. Alongside technical and stylistic description, Palliser emphasizes the social and economic context of lace‑making, including the role of women workers, guilds, court patronage, and trade, and she illustrates how lace functioned as a marker of status and a significant luxury commodity.Written with extensive documentation and many illustrations, the 1875 edition (later revised and expanded) aims to preserve knowledge of an art then perceived to be threatened by industrial change, turning the book into both a reference work for connoisseurs and a cultural history of lace in European dress and decoration.Source: Perplexity.aiCurated by G. Ly
