Lace styles

A piece by Pompi Parry, Lace historian, and Look Again Project volunteer.  

Ladies fashion, during the first three decades of the 19thC changed quite radically. The high waist of the long straight silhouette in the early years gradually slipped down until by the late 1820s it was almost at its natural position.

With the lowering of the waist, emphasis moved to focus on the shoulders and sleeves which became exaggeratedly larger and wider providing a wonderful base to support wide pelerine collars or Canezou (capes) in single or multiple layers decorated with white embroidery or decorated net. 

Throughout the period white accessories in fine fabrics or machine-made nets, often decorated with exquisite embroidery were the ‘must have’ of the day – collars, stoles aprons, cuffs, sleeves, chemisettes, indoor caps and even full dresses.

In The Salisbury Museum’s library are two bound volumes 1824-31 of hand drawn designs to be used for these decorations, created by Mary Catherine Percy of Millbrook Lodge. Volume one, containing 800 designs was given to the Museum in 1931.  In 1993 whilst studying the patterns to see if any of them related to designs in our local Downton Bobbin Lace Industry I consulted Pam Nottingham, a very knowledgeable English Lacemaker. Much to my amazement she knew of a second volume which her husband, a bookbinder, had recently re-bound. So, the second volume came to the museum.

Although drawings for designs such as these are not uncommon it is rare to have a compilation where the designs are dated and thus document the changing styles. The names beside some of the designs remain a mystery – were they a customer either for the design or a bespoke article or the source of the design or an embroiderer? ‘Worked’ is written alongside some patterns which may indicate Mary Percy was not the main user of her own designs. Some patterns have instructions i.e each flounce to be adjusted in size; another this pattern to be continued down the back.

Most of the categories in the index are specific such as designs for lace veils; designs for Muslin collars or lace; very small sprigs for dresses or lace; large sprigs for lace or muslin; corners for lace or muslin work; others indicate technique such as very large satin stitch designs; braid pattern ; design for letting-ins in satin stitch or lace.

Some of the many embroidery techniques being used in this period were ‘Tambour’ – a chain stitch achieved with the use of a fine hook; Shadow work where the design was worked on the wrong side of a fine fabric; Blanket and Buttonhole stitch, Back and Straight stitch, Satin and padded Satin stitch. Openwork was achieved by Drawn thread work, Broderie anglaise, and Needle point fillings. Machine nets were decorated with tambour work or embroidery through the meshes of the net. 

A treasury of in-depth information can be found in ‘White-embroidered costume accessories 1790s-1840s’ by Heather Toomer and Elspeth Reed. This is one of a series of four volumes.