“A Bedfordshire Lace Maker”

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

This postcard from the turn of the 20th century depicts an elderly lacemaker in England making “bobbin lace” (also known as “bone lace”, or “pillow lace”). A paper or vellum pattern is pinned to the pillow in her lap and her thread is wound on wooden or bone bobbins that hang from the project. She makes her lace by twisting, braiding, or weaving from point to point on her pattern and sets in a pin at each point to hold the lace in place while she continues to work. Lacemaking was most popular in Belgium, England, Italy and Ireland, among other countries. The device in front of the woman is probably a bobbin winder. To her left is a candle set up to shine through a glass bulb filled with water. This magnifies the candlelight.

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Details

Item typeDocumentary Photograph
Postcard
Date1907
PlaceEngland
TopicClothing, Textile, Fashion, Costume
Art, Music, Literature, Crafts
EraEarly Indigenous and European contact, 1565–1619
Colonial settlement, 1620–1762
Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
The New Nation, 1784–1815
National Expansion and Reform, 1816–1860
Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877
Rise of Industrial America, 1878–1899
Progressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPhotography; Printing
Dimension detailsHeight: 5.50 in Width: 3.50 in
Catalog #1907.17.01
View this item in our curatorial database →
A Bedfordshire Lace Maker. Photograph. 1907. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1907-17-01/. Accessed on October 10, 2024.

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