CHANTILLY.

185

common error prevails that it is of thread, whereas black threadlace has never been made either at Chantilly or Bayeux.

Chantilly fell with ’93. Being considered a royal fabric, andits productions made for the nobility alone, its unfortunate lace-workers became the victims of revolutionary fury, and all perished)with their patrons, on the scaffold. We hear no more of the manu-facture until the empire, a period during which Chantilly enjoyedits greatest prosperity. In 1805, white blonde became the rage inParis, and the workwomen were chiefly employed in its fabrication.The Chantilly laces were then in high repute, and much exported,the black, especially, to Spain and her American colonies; noother manufactories could produce mantillas, scarfs, and other largepieces of such great beauty. It was then they made those richlarge-patterned blondes called by the French “ blondes mates,” bythe Spaniards “ trapeada,” the prevailing style since the firstempire.

About 1835 black lace again came into vogue, and the lace-makers were at once set to work at making black silk laces withdouble ground, and afterwards they revived the hexagonal groundof the last century, called “ fond d’Alenfon,” 12 for tlie’productionof which they are celebrated.

The lace industry has been driven away of late years fromChantilly, by the increase in the price of labour consequent on itsvicinity to the capital. The lace manufacturers, unable to paysuch high salaries, retired to Gisors, where in 1851 there were from8000 to 9000 lace-nxakers. They only make the extra fine lace.The black shawls, dresses, scarfs, now produced at Chantilly, aremore objects of luxury than of commercial value. Specimens ofthe finest workmanship made at Yiarmes were exhibited in 1867.The generally so-called Chantilly shawls are the production ofBayeux.

12 See preceding note.