Margaret Jourdain Old Lace, a Handbook for Collectors

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. I have, therefore, in this book, while giving the chief landmarks in the history of each lace in each important centre of production - especially those that affected the quality and design of the lace produced - included or referred to these fresh facts and information. The French have been especially diligent in investigating the origins and development of their national industries. I have also been interested in tracing, where possible, the influence of contemporary art and design upon the development of lace, which is, naturally, largely subject to the influences of and fashions in textiles, as may be seen by a comparison of French patterned textiles with laces of the three great periods which correspond roughly to the reigns of Louis XIV., XV., and XVI. As the very large number of illustrations in each chapter are arranged in order of date, it will be easy for readers to follow this progress. For this reason, dated pieces - though these are naturally rare - have been illustrated wherever possible.