Lace edging

Status

Not on view

Label Text

This lace edging may have been used to trim a dress, and is notable for its American patriotic design of spread eagles and shields.

Datec. 1800-1830

Geography Possibly made - United StatesPossibly made - England

Medium/TechniqueSilk, bobbin lace

DimensionsOverall (H x W): 3 in. × 4 1/8 in. (7.62 cm × 10.48 cm)

Credit LineGift of Isabel West and Mrs. Wilfrid O. White, 1975

Object numberM-2664

DescriptionWhite silk bobbin lace in the Bucks Point style featuring a repeating spread eagle motif with alternating floral-like sprays on a point mesh ground. Arches or stylized branches enclose areas of honeycomb mesh above each of the eagles and form the scalloped lower edge. Each of the eagles holds a shield with two stripes and six dots. Thirteen clothwork spots (“points d’esprit”) float in the honeycomb mesh, arranged in clusters of four (called “mayflowers”), with one standing alone. Additional “mayflowers” and large floral-like motifs alternate between the eagles. Several key features of Bucks Point style lace are identifiable in this piece: point mesh, honeycomb mesh, gimp, and linen clothwork stitches on both edges. There is evidence of repair above the right-hand-side eagle motif. The entire piece has been mounted on modern lavender voile.
Published ReferencesMaria Cotterell Raffel. The Laces of Ipswitch: The Art and Economics of an Early American Industry, 1750-1840 (Hanover: University Press of New England, 2003), 51-52. (general reference)

Elizabeth M. Kurella, A Guide to Lace and Linens (Norfolk, Virginia: Antique Trader Books, 1998), 115-16. (general reference)

Frances Morris, Notes on Laces of the American Colonists (New York: William Helburn, Inc., 1926), plate 15 and p. 11. (general reference)

Emily Noyes Vanderpoel, American Lace & Lace-Makers (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1924), Plates 65-67. (general reference)

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