214

HISTORY OF LACE.

faisaient expedier a Cadiz a leur compte.” 9 It may indeed be saidthat, with the exception of the period of the French devolutionto 1801, the lace trade of Le Puy has been ever prosperous. 10 11

Formerly, they only made at Le Puy laces to each of whichwas given a distinctive name—ave, pater, chapelets, mie, serpent,bonnet, scie, &c. u

Le Puy now produces every description of lace, white andcoloured; silk, thread, and worsted; blondes of all kinds, blacksilk guipures, and others of the finest reseau grounds; application,double and single grounds; from gold and silver lace to edgingsof a halfpenny a yard.

In 1847 more than 5000 women were employed in makingValenciennes. They have also succeeded in producing admirableneedle-points, similar to the ancient Venetian. A dress of thislace, destined to adorn an image of the Virgin, was shown in theFrench Exhibition of 1855.

In 1848, commerce and the lace trade languished, and acheaper lace was produced, made of worsted, for shawls andtrimmings. This lace was not long in fashion, but it reappeareda few years after under the name of “ lama,” or “ poil de chevre,”when it obtained a great success. The hair of the lama hasnever been used.

The finest collection of Auvergne lace in the InternationalExhibition was from the manufactory at Craponne (Haute-Loire), 12established in 1830 by M. Theodore Falcon, to whom Le Puy isindebted for her “ musee de dentelles,” containing specimens ofthe lace of all countries and all ages, a most useful and instructivecollection for the centre of a lace district, and one which mightto advantage be established in our own country. 13 Le Puy hasalso a lace school, numbering a hundred pupils, and a school ofdesign for lace patterns, founded in 1859.

9 Roland de la Platiere.

19 The thread used in Auvergne corneafrom Haarlem, purchased either fromthe merchants of Rouen or Lyons. Inthe palmy days of Le Puy her lace-workers consumed annually to theamount of 400,000 livres.

11 Three-fourths of the Auvergne lace

were consumed in Europe in time of peace:—Sardinia took 120,000 francs, purchasedby the merchants of Turin, once a year,

and then distributed through the country;

Florence and Spain, each 200,000; Guy-enne exported by the merchants ofBordeaux 200,000; 500,000 went to theSpanish Indies. The rest was sold inFrance by means of colporteurs. Peuchet.

19 In Auvergne, lace has preserved itsancient names of “ passement ” and“pointes,” the latter applied especia’ly toneedle-made lace.

13 We are happy to state that a lacemuseum has been opened in the AlbertMemorial Museum of Exeter.