The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-30
LACE.MAKING IN NEW YORK.
Laces for the Empress Eugene Worn by Poor Lace
Makers Wife-One Fortune that was Swept
Away by NapoleOn's Fall.
From the New York SUM-

From the New York Sun.
"See, have accomplished it. l said that
I would establish the first lace school in
America; that would lay the foundation OF
my monument before died; and here 1t is. .
The speaker was Nine. Carter, well known
to all New York ladies who wear and tear hne
laces, known also to the readers OF the sun as
the lace expert who testified in the celebrated
suit OF Fralloff against the Hudson River Rail
road Company for the recovery OF o3OO,oV =
worth OF fine antique laces. Nine. Carter and
the representative Of the Sun stood in the
midst of group of young girls seated at a
table in neat and simply furnished, warm,
light room, in the second story OF house IN
broadway. between Seventeenth and Elgh-
teenth streets.
Three of the girls had lace cushions in
their laps similar to those exhibited IN shop
windows They were making pillow lace in
various designs, such as flowers, initial let
ters and figures of bees, butterflies, cornu-
copias, and so on. The design was pricked
with the point of needle on dark blue or
green, soft, thick paper. One Of the children
was at work pricking out design. Nine.
Carter showed where the lace-maker began
with her bobbins, fastening the thread, and
beginning the endless twisting and interweav-
ing, saying at the same time:
at is not an unhealthy occupation, as you
can see. These children do not look sickly,
and three of them have been uorking from
eight to ten hours daily for six months. They
are earning three dollars or more week. l
do not say that is enough to support them
but they have learned something that is more
valuable to them than what they would have
learned in six months running up and down
before counters and to and from the cashier S
desk in a fancy goods store as cash girls. Ii
e<1o r;~v, hoe oo1o ,o,,fs nf or,
artist in her it will be developed at this work.
l do not want unwilling drudges. I aim to
draw talent into this school. 1t is really a
school of design"
THE LIFE OF THE ARTISTS IN LACE.
"What will these young girls be able to
earn after they have mastered their art?"
Mime. Carter. They can then command
their own price. But you must know that it
is the study Of lifetime to become real lace
artist Few even Of those who rank as ex-
perts know more than one or two kinds OF
work or rather should say they cannot be-
come experts in more than one or two styles
of work. Such experts are paid $40 to SIS a
week Look at this piece Of old point dan
gleterre 1t is all point or needle wrought.
The flowers were executed by one artist the
wheels by another, the exquisite fine purling
or point clair edges around each flower by
another; then it took two more artists or ex-
perts in reseau and bride work to unite the
whole and make the ground. This is entirely
of needle lace; there is not a flower or reseau
or any part that was done on pillow.
1t was a marvellous piece of workmanship,
fine as spiders web and so delicate in design
and tracery that it might have been conceived
by tays and executed by fairy fingers.
"My little daughter Lolie made this imi-
tation Of it, said Nine. Carter. holding up a
G,l, that, tad %ha ole MO 1T
point d Angleterre with wondrous fidelity.
"Is it possible that this lace was made in
New York? Why this is revival Of antique
lace"
Nine Carter. Yes; and that is Just what
am aiming to do. We shall eventually pro-
duce il. America finer laces than are made
anywhere else in the world, for we shall bring
here lace-workers from every lace producing
country and district and city of Europe, and
in another century lit will be century before
it comes to pass) we shall make laces in this
country that will combine all the beauties and
intricacies of the various of Europe, the an
tique and the modern points combined. Look
at the work Of the little girl"
BORN ARTIST.
Madame Carter took piece from the hand
of little twelve-year old artist. 1t was cover
ed with designs This" she continued, sis
needle point Here is point gaze used in
this section, round point in this, old point
de Bruxelles in this; this is point Clair this
is point dAlencon.' l am teaching this child
all these various points or needle laces. In
Europe few experts can possibly know more
than two at the furthest. Several times
have sent to England and France for expert
workers. When they came they could rarely
do more than one kind OF point or pillow lace.
They could make the flowers, but not the
reseau or ground work; or they could do
point gaze or make the brides that unite
guipure lace, but could do nothing else"
"DO you think it possible for one artist to
learn ali the various laces?" inquired the re-
preventative Of the Sun.
Practically, no, was the reply. ''Perfec-
ton can be attained only by the study Of one
or two points Those beautiful and valuable
lace shaws, dresses, collars, capes, tiOunces
and handkerchiefs that you admire so much
require many different kinds of workers in
their fabrication, each worker must be an
expert, and the designs are also made by
artists. The flower and fruit painters OF
Europe are employed by the manufacturers
to make the designs of their finest pieces
Many designs are handed down from gener-
alton to generation. OF late years the manu-
iacturers have applied themselves to the re-
production of antique laces, and they have
succeeded very well. But the fall of the
French empire has given great blow 10 the
manufacture of lace all over Europe
How is that"
"Well, YOU know it takes the income of an
Empress or aQueen to purchase the finest
and largest pieces of lace. 1t takes aristocracy
and royalty, or fortunes and incomes such as
European princes and mobiles have and q
peaceful and settled condition of the whole OF
Europe, to promote the consumption of laces.
"A few days ago l came across manufac-
turer of Brussels, who was ruined by the fall
OF Napoleon III. This man had expended an
immense amount, $4,000 or more, in the
production of a dress which he exhibited at
the last Paris Exposition, with the hope OF
| finding purchaser in the Empress Eugene.
But the empress did not purchase the dress.
His factory produced only the finest laces,
and therefore it was obliged to suspend work.
He told me that just before he lett Brussels
he had seen many OF the girls that had been
employed in his mandatory peddling
oranges. He showed me the $50 900 dress.
AS he could not sell it, he gave it to his
wife. No lady in New York, nor the Queen in