To browse Academia. Although a relatively recent invention c. Almost every region involved in pillow or needle lace had its own origin story: I will concentrate on those circulating in Italy, Catalonia, France, Belgium, and England. The legends drew on elements of this work culture, and especially the strong connections to royal courts and the Catholic Church, but they did not originate among lacemakers themselves.
Rather they were authored by persons β lace merchants and other patrons β who in the nineteenth century took on the task of defending homemade lace in its drawn-out conflict with machine-made alternatives. Legends first circulated in print, in lace histories, newspapers and magazines, before tran This paper considers the repertoire of Flemish lace tells and explores how these work songs might illuminate the history of lacemakers in nineteenth-century Belgium.
Both were ladies-in-waiting to Grand Duchess Vittoria della Rovere, an important patron of women artists and artisans at the Medici Court. The Grand Duchess provided training and education to both women, sending them to Paris to perfect their needlework skills in the new French styles. Having gained proficiency in France, both women were repatriated to Florence, where they continued in service to the Grand Duchess, alongside other ladies who had been trained in lacemaking at local convents.
All these women were dependent on the protection of their patron, who did not fail to provide morally and materially for her young charges. This paper traces the history and use of gimp, lace and braid on academical gowns within the United Kingdom.
Academical dress in the United Kingdom is unique in having a long history of using lace for decoration. The laces used are significant and their meanings depend on the gown on which they are used.
