Historical information

This fine lace trim at 1.6cm width is quite narrow, the pattern is geometric in style with one side a selvedge and the other a gracefully scalloped picot edging. It appears to be made of cotton although it could be silk, and ostensibly looks to be a Cluny lace style of bobbin lace which is heavily plaited and worked in one continuous piece. Cluny lace is geometric in pattern often with thin radiating wheat ears. This machine made lace would have been made on a Barmen machine which was developed in Germany in the 1890s and was capable of making perfect copies of Torchon and other simple bobbin laces such as Cluny. The machine developed from a braiding machine and uses bobbins which imitate the hand movement of hand-made lace makers.

This fine lace trim may adorn a child’s collar and cuffs or trim a finely pleated blouse. It may also trim a mob cap or a shawl.

Significance

The Amess family owned Churchill Island from 1872 to 1929. This lace collection was added to and refined over the course of three successive generations of women.

Physical description

machine made lace trim with selvage edge on one side and scalloped edge with picots, geometric interior