Historical information

This is a very dense machine made lace reminiscent of a Valenciennes style. The folk art style roses and interconnecting six petal flowers are set into quite a dense net ground. The trim appears to have been made on a Pusher machine - although it was only able to make the lace pattern and the net. Any outline had to be filled in later by hand using an embroidering machine. Nottingham stopped making Pusher lace probably in the early 20th century but it continued to be made in France.

The Pusher machine was a variation on John Heathcoat’s Bobbinet machine developed by Samuel Clark and James Mart in 1812. It takes its name from the rods which pushed the carriages through the machine. The Jacquard apparatus was adapted to it in 1839.


Significance

The Amess family owned Churchill Island from 1872 to 1929. This lace collection was owned and contributed to by four generations of Amess women.

Physical description

section of lace trim, with very dense valenciennes pattern, small lowers and leaves interwoven with larger motifs