# Lace Flounce

- By: Flanders, Brussels (present-day Belgium)
- Date: 1701-25
- Medium: Linen, bobbin part lace
- Classification: Textile
- Dimensions: 17.2 × 384.2 cm (6 3/4 × 151 1/4 in.); Repeat: W.: 59 cm (23 1/4 in.); Heading: H.: 6 cm (1/4 in.)
- Culture: Flanders
- Credit line: Bequest of Mrs. Edward E. Ayer in memory of Edward E. Ayer
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/107849)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/1140f47b-38fa-8d82-db6b-4a2eaf475a7f/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Little Ones profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

The lace decorations that ornamented women’s dresses were separate from the dresses themselves. They required many yards of lace and, since fine lace was expensive, people sought substitutes that mimicked the light, translucent nature of the fabric. Here, the sleeve ruffles are made of a woven linen that has been skillfully embroidered to look like lace.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0