Lace, the product of intense, time-consuming hand work, signaled prestige, power, and wealth, and consequently acted as an important finishing touch on elite dress. Martha Washington owned several sets of lace that she used to adorn her gowns, caps, and other accessories. Likely used as trimming or robing along the front edges of a gown, this piece of Brussels lace may have been part of one of the “suits” or sets of Brussels lace that she purchased from London in the 1760s or 1770s. It exemplifies the contemporary taste in lace for large open areas of mesh and motifs of scrolling leaves, flowers, and fancy fillings concentrated on the lace’s outer edge. The mesh is of the “droschel” style, featuring hexagonal shapes.