Mechlin lace trim

Status

Not on view

Label Text

On January 6, 1759, Martha Dandridge Custis, the wealthiest widow in Virginia, married the young colonel George Washington. About her neckline and sleeves she wore fine Mechlin lace, considered by European royalty to be the "Queen of Laces". This piece likely adorned the neckline of Martha's dress. It was later removed by descendants and kept as a memento of the defining occasion when she became Washington's wife, and the nation's future first lady.

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Date1740-1760

Geography Made - Belgium

Medium/TechniqueLinen, bobbin lace

DimensionsOverall: 2 in. × 20 1/8 in. (5.08 cm × 51.12 cm) Other (Mount): 4 1/2 in. × 22 3/8 in. (11.43 cm × 56.83 cm)

Credit LinePurchase, 1956

Object numberW-2150/B

DescriptionMechlin white linen bobbin lace with dense pattern of scrolls, flowers, leaves, and numerous fancy fillings on a hexagonal mesh ground. The scrolls that dominate this piece run along both the upper and lower edges of the lace, creating cartouches in the middle ground. These are filled with fancy fillings such as flower-and-dot, flower-and-stripe, and snowflake mesh. Along the lower edge are sprigs of flowers. A shimmery gimp (thick outline thread) outlines the motifs. The hexagonal Mechlin mesh ground has four twisted sides and two plaited sides. Picots (tiny loops of thread) extend from the lace’s lower edge.
Published ReferencesWilliam Armstrong, "Some New Washington Relics. I. From the Collection of Mrs. B.W. Kennon," The Century Magazine 40/1 (May 1890): 18.

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