BRUSSELS.

97

The last have one great fault. Coming soiled from the handsof the lace-makers, they have a reddish-yellow cast. In order toobviate this evil, the workwoman, previous to sewing the flowerson the ground, places them in a packet of white lead and beatsthem with the hand, an operation injurious to the health of thelace-cleaner. It also causes the lace to turn black when laid intrunks or wardrobes in contact with Hannel or other woollentissues bleached with sulphur, which discolours the white lead.Bottles containing scent, the sea air, or a heated room, willproduce the same disagreeable change, and the colour is withdifficulty restored. This custom of powdering yellow lace is ofold date. We read in 1782: 32 “On tolere en meme temps lesdentelles jaunes et fort sales, poudrez-les a blanc pour cacherleur vetuste, dut la fraude paroitre, n’importe, vous avez des den-telles vous etes bien dispense de la proprete mais non du luxe.”Mrs. Delany writes in 1734: “Your head and ruffles are beingmade up, but Brussels always looks yellow; ” and she was right,for flax thread soon returns to its natural hue. Yet,

“ How curled her hair, how clean her Brussels lace! ”

exclaims the poet. 33 Later, the taste for discoloured lace becamegeneral. The “ Isabelle ” or cream-coloured tint was found to bemore becoming than a dazzling white, and our coquettish grand-mothers, who prided themselves upon the colour of their point,when not satisfied with the richness of its hue, had their lacedipped in coffee.

In the older laces the plat flowers were worked in togetherwith the ground (Figs. 51 and 52). Application lace was unknownto our ancestors. 34 The making of Brussels lace is so complicatedthat each process is, as before mentioned, assigned to a differenthand, who works only at her special department. The first,termed—

Drocheleuse (Flemish, drocheles), makes the vrai reseau.

2. Denteliere (kantwerkes), the footing.

3. Pointeuse (needlewerkes), the point a l’aiguille flowers.

4. Platteuse (platwerkes) makes the plat flowers.

33 “ Tableau de Paris, par S. Mercier,”Amsterdam, 1782.

33 “ Fashion,” J. Warton.

34 Brussels lace-makers divide the platinto three parts, the “mat,” the close

part answering to the French “toile”(see p. 26); “ gaze au fuseau,” in whichsmall interstices appear, French “ grilleand the “jours,” or open work.

H