Godey's Lady's Book And Magazine 1863-04: Vol 66

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GODEY’S Laws Book and agasine PHILADELPHIA, APRIL, 1863. A LADY’S GLANCE AT THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, LACES, AND HOW THEY ARE MADE. Havine in our last notice reviewed in detail the brilliant display of jewellery in the Inter- national Exhibition, some account of the best specimens of foreign art might have been ex- pected to follow in natural succession. Our attention is invited by a class of fabrics which, as regards minute critical examination, is almost virgin soil ; and to enthusiasts in lace we espe- cially address ourselves on the present occasion. Of Brussels lace there are two distinct kinds— the valuable pointe-a-l’aiguille, to which class belong the majority of articles now exhibited, and another, technically called Brussels plait, resembling our Honiton appliqué, in which the flowers are made separately on the pillow and afterwards attached to afoundation. There are also two descriptions of the net used for ground- work. The veritable réseau, the crowning dis- tinction of first-class articles, is made with bob- bins on the pillow, and is superior to the best machine imitation only in its unapproachable fineness and the slight inequalities which re- veal its value as the production of human, op- posed to mechanical, industry. Although some eotton is employed at Brussels, the material chiefly used is the finest thread, made from flax grown at Hal and Rebecque. Some years ago the greater proportion was handspun ; and when we consider the extreme delicacy of the opera- tion, it does seem impossible that the dexterity of human fingers should be successfully. emu- lated by artificial means. The finest quality of the thread is said to be made in damp under- ground rooms, for the tenuity is so great that contact with the dry air above would be injuri- ous. The life of a Belgian thread-spinner being unhealthy, and her work requiring great vigi- VOL. L&VI.—27 lance, the price of her labor is proportionably high. She examines closely every inch of thread drawn from the distaff, and where the slightest inequality occurs stops her wheel to repair the mischief. Every artificial assistance to the eyesight is adopted. A background of dark paper is placed to throw out the slender thread, and the scene of labor is sometimes arranged to admit only one single beam of light falling directly on the work. So much for ma- terial ; we now turn to construction. The dif- ferent processes involved in this vary so much that each is intrusted solely to women peculiarly versed in its details. For instance, one class known by the name of platteuses are continu- ally oceupied in making flowers for the pattern on the pillow; others, again, are educated to work them in point with the needle; these when attached to net constitute a lace properly described as Brussels appliqué. Another divi- sion of the labor consists in making the real net-groundwork already alluded to, and two examples in the Belgian cases gives a clear idea of the modes in which the drocheleuses execute their task. The striqueuses are per- petually employed in attaching the flowers to the net; whilst the designation of attacheuses is given to persons whose sole occupation con- sists in- uniting the different portions of a pattern, so that it should appear to be made entire. Last, but not least in importance, come the faiseuses de pointe-a-l’ aiguille, of whose skill we will now seek for evidence in the Bel- gian department. It may be remembered that a certain Mdme. Hubert, of Paris, distinguished herself in 1851 by the exhibition of some lace flowers in every respect but color good imitations of nature. 337