New-York tribune., 1907-11-10

The fashionable woman of the present day
when viewing with pride and complacency some
sunerb evening gown that is eaborately orna-
,nented with gold silver laces or a lace llleSh
darned with these metals in finely spun threaos
or eorgeously colored silks. If she did but know
II is simply experiencing the sensations OF the
fair danes Of medieval times and even centuries
oa,lier for gold and silver laces and darned
,,ae ,,ere the very earliest Of those fmy fabrics
(which have become one of the most important
adornments of women's apparel Paintings on
ancient Egyptian sarcophagi depict workers
s,eh as those referred 20 in the book OF Isaiah
"as they that work in fine fax and they that
weave network" and the robes Of the royaI
nersonages seem to be Of this network darneo
around the hem in gold. silver and coIoreo SILKS
Tho ancient toubs of the Egyptians, well as
those in a Roman cemetery in middle Egypt
WELD I'D specimens of network in small pieces
and as entire wrappings those around some of
the rnummies showing designs of cut work
drawn work and other open trimming effects.
Homer writes of wells of net woven OF golo'
and Dante, centuries later, mentions them also'
besides referring 10 trimmings OF god lace Oh
immoderate richness. The Saracens are sup
rosed TO have taught the art OF lace WORK 10
the Venetians and other Italians, and the hohor
of introducing lace 10 the world at large seems
= ha due IN Italy. although France, Flanders
and Spain also claim it.
# was In Italy, IN 1850 thereabouts' that
che iacernakers first substituted flax threads Tor
4he costly ones Of pure metal Except 1or
,,o-derinq the robes worn on best occasions the
,aces az this period were mainly used for
church rurposes. for the vestments OF the Pope
md other church dignitaries, and most OF the
work was done in the converts. The conVents
In England engaged in the making or sumptuous
church enbroideries and laces, the Popes Wit
ing or sending for such pieces as they desired
from time to time and encouraging the in
dustry from afar
WITH NEEDLE OR BOBBIN.
The +vyo kinds of handmade lace are wrought
either with a needle, which is known dlstlnct-
lively as needlepoint or with oopplns "heh II
ts called bobbin lace and in the hrst named
italy has ever led the world from time lost In
antiquity until the present, and that progressive
country also claims the Introduction OF popo'h
made lace A woman of the Saxon Hartz Noun
1ains Frau Barbara Uttman, in 1861 had at
Annabere the first school or workshop for the
manufacture Of laces for the public in general
and the mountain girls of the nelgnpornood were
eunploved in numbers. At one time thirty thou-
sand were recorded. Her life work Is described
at length on her tombstone, the erroneous claim
beinp made that she invented bobbin lace.
II was colbert Minister to Louis XIV who
first established the French lace factories, and
black silk lace was first worn at the time OF the
marriage of Louis to the Infanta Maria Theresa
In the sixteenth century Emperor Charles
ordered lacemaking taught in schools and con-
vents. Flanders was dangerous rival 10 Italy
sunrer7acv and the religious refugees from the
Netherlands in the sixteenth century impaired
their knowledge of lacemaking with bobbins
wherever thew settled. The beautiful flowing
designs of the well known Flanders laces were
eagerly adopted, and this lace at the present
time is acknowledged as being one Of the best
10 he had Ia Antwerp the bobbin lace workers
fourished greatly and wrought exquisite speci-
mems OF the most cobwebby description, the
lNlfva #ne. IN
industry.
No ground, or "reseau." in the parlance Of
lacedom, ever equal the needle ground for
cIearness or lightness, although many devices
have been resorted to to gain the result with
less labor and cost. One man at Munich took
q curious departure and actually obtained lace
woven by caterpillars He spread a paste of
food they liked on fiat stone set upright, and
traced design in oil on this paste. The cater