Antique Lace

Antique Lace from the Paris Exposition,1867
Illustrations of two specimens of lace displayed in the Paris Exposition from Harper's Bazaar.

Victorian Mourning and Funeral Usage
Learn about the etiquette of mourning in the Victorian era. A heartless wife who, instead of being grieved at the death of her husband, is rejoiced at it, should be taught that society will not respect her unless she pays to the memory of the man whose name she bears

History of Antique Black Lace
Chantilly Lace is the best known of the black laces.
 

Antique Lace Dictionary

Alençon Antique Lace:  
Alençon is a fine needlepoint lace made of linen thread. Its name is derived from the French town of Alencon in Normandy France, where it was developed. At one time is was the most expensive lace in the world.

Battenberg Antique Lace:  
Battenberg lace is one of the Tape laces and is the simplest and has the least amount of hand worked fillings.

Broderie Anglaise Antique Lace:  
Also called English Embroidery.  A  Whitework technique is used to sew designs with a white thread onto a white fabric. This type of embroidery was very popular for infants' and children's clothing in the early and mid-19th century.

Carrickmacross Antique Lace: 
An appliqué and cutwork type of lace worked over machine netting. It is made with a sewing needle using very fine net, made from cotton or silk or fine muslin. The cutwork is sometimes combined with filling stitches providing greater detail.

Chantilley Antique Lace:  
This is a French handmade bobbin lace, popular in the mid- 19th century. It was most commonly found in black.

Chemical Antique Lace:  
This lace is created by embroidering designs with machines on a background fabric which is then chemically removed. This leaves the "lacy" holes between the embroidery and giving the effect of "lace". 

Cluny Antique Lace:  
This French lace has braided bars with small petal shaped wheat-ears.

Crochet Antique Lace:  
This lace is worked with a very small fine steel hook with a handle of bone, cork or wood. This lace is often found as an edging on clothing and table linens.

Needlerun Antique Lace:  
This is a Limerick lace that is worked on net where the stitches are darned with a sewing needle. It usually has spaces in the design to be filled with a variety of fancy stitches.

Tambour Antique Lace:  
This is a Limerick lace that is worked on net where the stitches are worked with a hook. The Tambour is named because the net is stretched across a frame which looks like a tambourine.  

Valenciennes Antique Lace:  
This is a French handmade bobbin lace, popular from the mid to late 19th Century.

Youghal Antique Needle Lace: 
This lace was particularly sought after because of its delicacy. It is made from a very fine number 400 cotton thread which is finer than a human hair.