Newport weekly independent., 1901-08-30
BURANO LACE WORKERS.
More Than Six Hundred Women Ot the Island Engaged in the
 Industry.

At almost every cottage door in Burano, about four miles from Ven ice, may be seen woman, old or young, her lace cushion on her lap, and her fingers busy with needle and the finest fax thread, making the ex- quisite lace for which the little island is famous. More than 600 women, all pupils of the royal lace school, sit uated in the municipal buildings of the place, receive steady employment either in the school or their own homes making the delicate needle point lace, which has had a remark able revival in the last 25 years, says the New York Tribune.
 Of old the lace makers of Burano depended largely for their existence upon their craft; but as the demand lcssened, the workers became fewer, until, with the decay of the lace in' dustry all over the world, in the first half of the nineteenth century, lace making on the island became almost thing of the past, and the poverty o1 the fisher folk waS deplorable. The hard winter of 1872 reduced the pop. ulation to a state of semi-starvation, and as 8 means of relief a fund was created, headed by Queen Margherita for resuscitating the lace industry A difficulty arose, however, for, al though superb specimens of Bu. rano lace were in existence, so small had been the demand that all the old workers had died out, and the only old woman who remembered the Buranc point stitches was unable to teach them. But, by watching old Cencia Scarpariola work, Mime. Anna Bellorio d'Este, present mistress of the school cunningly learned the secret, trained herself thoroughly and then taught to eight pupils what she herself had ac. quired. Two years of instruction at the school are required of each work CT.
 The chief characteristic of Buranc point is the exquisite handmade net with which all the motifs of the de. signs are surrounded, although il would be misleading to say that the design is worked on net ground, for the motifs are made first and the net is worked afterward.
 Burano point is of most durable quality, because the stitches are sc fine and so closely set. Rare speci. mems are seen so closely worked that they are as stiff as thin cardboard, but the usual kinds are eXquisitely soft and flexible, although having always more substance than Point BruXelles and faces similar to it.
 The color of Burano point is deeE cream, the color of unbleached flax slightly yellowed by human contact.
 One of the most beautiful pieces oi this lace is now in the possession ot the dowager queen of Italy, and has old pattern may be reproduced. II is an alb made for Pope Clement XIII about 17OO the designs for it having been suggested by the richly orna. mented ceiling of the Palazzo Rezzon. icus. The same design was adapted tc school, for presentation by the wom. en of Venice to the queen of Italy, then | princess of Naples. The queen is a | great lover of fine lace.
 Beside the Burano point, other fine needle point laces are made in the is- land. Among them are Point de Ven. | ise, tagliato a fogliami, Point de Ven.
 ise a la rose, Point d'Argentan, Point | d'Alencon and Point de BruXelles, but
 the chief product is that named after | the island.