19th century straight mesh lace

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   19th Century Bobbin Lace
   Straight Mesh Lace
   Antique Bobbin Lace

   © Lorelei Halley 2009

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Whether a particular lace is a 19th century example, actually made in the 19th century, or whether it classifies as "Revival Era", is sometimes hard to know with any certainty. All the point ground laces dominated in the 19th century, and Cluny and Bedfordshire began in the 19th century. And all of these continued to be made into the 20th. The point ground laces are a direct outgrowth of very late 18th century and Napoleonic era straight laces. Cluny actually began in the early middle 19th century as an attempt to design pieces reminiscent of the laces in the Cluny museum, which were 16th and 17th century Genoese braid based laces. Maltese also was invented in the 19th century, also based on Cluny museum laces, in an attempt to create laces fast to make and so provide an income for the women of Malta. Bedfordshire, actually Bedfordshire-Maltese, was a direct outgrowth of a great international exhibition in about 1850, where the new Maltese laces were on display. So I suppose all of these can be called 19th century. Some of my actual examples may have been made during the early 20th century. It is impossible to be sure.

It is the complex mesh grounded laces, Flanders, Binche, and Paris, which were a part of the Revival Era recreation of those older forms. I suppose the difference is one of time. Cluny, Maltese and Bedfordshire were resurrected out of Genoese fairly early in the 19th century (the middle years); while Flanders, Binche, Paris and Revival Mechlin were only resurrected very late, at the turn of the century. Valenciennes continued to be made throughout the 19th century, and the square ground was invented during this time.

For bar grounded straight laces of this period see 19th c straight bar ground laces.

Mesh Grounded Straight Laces:

There was a gradual transition from the Napoleonic style: the motifs became more complex groups of elements and these groups became larger. At first the net continued to be spotted with tallies or small gimp motifs. During the first third of the 19th century one still finds Mechlin ground in use, but after that it disappears, replaced by point ground. Mechlin ground only reappears in Revival Era laces.

The cap laces of the Netherlands show a clear relationship.

28 ek point ground Beveren cap lace type

Mechlin and Point Ground Laces:

See also Napoleonic era laces and 18th c Mechlin *

425 ek Mechlin ground 25 point ground ek

15 ek Mechlin

108 kk point ground 344 bh point ground & kat st

141 lh honeycomb gnd See also point ground laces by living lacemakers

426 gs 427 gs 428 gs

Blonde *

What distinguishes Blonde is that it uses a thick thread as the weaver in the clothwork. The result is motifs which are clearly visible from a distance, but the very fine silk ground disappears.


110 kk	510 IT	543 it

Chantilly *

It is not just black silk thread which distinguishes Chantilly, but the motifs are woven in half stitch. See also Chantilly by living lacemakers. Both black Chantilly and black LePuy guipure were high fashion laces meant to be worn as part of evening dress, at a time when the dress fabrics for evenings were brightly colored floral silk prints. The black lace stood out starkly against the bright background without looking somber. The brightly colored fabrics and the black lace complemented each other very well.