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Lace! Under things*

by Obie Linn, Conservator of Textiles

11/13/2024

CAMConservation , textile conservation , historic lace

*Warning: puns and silly wordplay ahead! If that’s not your thing, this may not be the pLACE for you!

I’m preparing a lotta lace for installation later this month! Maybe all the lace has made me loopy? It’s certainly a knotty set of objects. Check out our lace … under things!

A triangular piece of lace in a bin full of water
Vest, 1850s-1890s, Venice, Italy, cotton, Gift of Mrs. Dudley V. Sutphin,1934.40

Lace under…going wet cleaning! Most of the lace samples got a short soak and a wash in a shallow tray, as seen here. The tray is tipped up for a better view of the soiling level in the water.

 

Two pieces of lace under large glass blocks
Set of cuffs, 1870s-1890s, Ireland, cotton, Gifts of Mary C.M. Smith in memory of Starbuck Smith, Jr., 1986.760b-c

Lace under…weights! Glass weights help to gently restore a smooth, flat finish before mounting.

 

A small metal tool presses against a piece of lace
Vest, 1850s-1890s, Venice, Italy, cotton, Gift of Mrs. Dudley V. Sutphin,1934.40

Lace under…the heated spatula. This tiny, metal tool is the hottest thing in this post about lace under things! The spatula works like a (very) miniature iron for pressing the little, lace rosettes open and flat.

 

A piece of lace pinned to a board
Vest, 1850s-1890s, Brussels, Belgium, cotton, Gift of Mrs. Joseph K. Pollock, 1931.87

Lace under…pins! The lace samples are positioned on their mounting boards and pinned with super-fine stainless-steel pins, originally intended for pinning insects and other delicate specimens. The larger, glass-headed pin at the bottom marks a center point to help align the center of the lace to the center of the board.

 

A white hand stitches a piece of lace
Collar, 1860s-1870s, Belgium, cotton, Bequest of Millie Gilsey Kahn,1957.67

Lace under…the needle! I used a tiny, curved needle and super-fine thread to stitch each lace piece to the mounting fabric for display. I try to only pass mounting stitches through existing interstices (holes) in the object, which is pretty easy with lace objects.

 

A white woman with purple hair looks at a piece of lace
Woman’s handkerchief, 1880s-1890s, probably United States, linen, silk, Gift of the Estate of Margaret Clark,1965.298

Lace under…examination! This frilly lace handkerchief turned out to be one of only three linen pieces in the group. (Cotton is the far more common fiber). That’s nothing to sneeze at! (Also, please don’t sneeze at this museum—accessioned, decorative handkerchief. Eww.)

 

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