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19th century Lace for the Common Man

© Lori Howe

By the 19th century a number of lace types had fallen in favor either due to changing styles or expense of labor intensity. Another factor was the advent of machines. First the background net was made, which greatly speeded up the process of lacemaking the light filmy laces so popular in the 1800s. Lacemakers could now concentrate on making the lovely designs and flowers. This allowed the price of lace to become more affordable to the new merchant class. This is not to say all lace was partially made by machine. Needle lace was still laboriously made entirely by hand.

Other laces were also born at this time. Point de Gaze was was first recorded in 1851. One of my personal favorites, Brussels Mixed lace, incorporates Point de Gaze and Duchesse together in a "mixed" lace combining both needle and bobbin lace tecniques. Limerick and Carrickmacross both laces of the 1800's were both developed and made in Ireland. Irish lace did not begin in the 19th century, but came unto it own during this time. Machine-made netting, made many laces far easier to make than bobbin or needle lace and many women supplemented their income making these forms of lace. The Irish potato famines of the middle of the century were another reason so many women turned to lacemaking, for there was a ready market in the well-fed Nobility. Youghal, another Irish lace and one of the finest needlelaces still made today, was also developed at this time.

In another part of the world, on the islands of Malta another lace was born. This time a bobbin lace was developed from Italian style needlelace and brought to Malta and Gozo and evolved into a style of its own. This lace was worked in silk and is known for its creamy color and Maltese crosses worked into the design and the little leaves know in other laces especially in English Bedfordshire, and were uniquely "fat" in Maltese Lace. But eventually this silk lace along with many other flax laces, succumbed to the new textile, cotton! The mid 1800s was a time when flax lost it's standing as the major source of lace fiber throughout Europe. Cotton was used for many of the laces made at this time and its cheaper cost was a major reason. Because of this, many prized strains of flax were lost and today's fibers can no longer be spun as fine as they were in the early part of the 19th century.

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