The History of French Lace

France has an interesting history when it comes to how it became involved in the lace industry.

Lace was a fashionable part of the wardrobe worn in court long before there was any lace made in France. Many portraits of kings and queens of France show an abundance of lace being worn on collars, hats and sleeves. Social status among the members of the court could be determined by the quality and complexity of lace that they wore. Women considered it vital to wear the most expensive lace they could find.

The Beginning of French Lace

Colbert, the Minister of Finance for King Louis XIV of France was disturbed by the amount of money that was being spent to import lace from Italy. On his recommendation France began to develop the lace-making industry at home. This was accomplished by encouraging accomplished lace makers from Italy and Belgium to come and start schools in France and teach the peasants the art of lace making. Since the teachers came from Italy it makes sense that the first lace produced in France looked exactly like the lace made in Italy. However, it didn't take long until France was creating unique lace designs and becoming established in the lace industry.

Schooling

Children were taught the art of lace making in schools and were paid for their efforts if the lace they produced was good enough to sell. However, half of the money earned from the sale was given to the teacher. Children as young as six could be included in a school for lace making and the school day would last ten to twelve hours.

Alencon

Alencon was chosen as a lace manufacturing center by Colbert in 1665. The lace industry was already started in Alencon though among the peasants. Alencon lace was made with the finest linen thread until the 1850's when cotton was introduced as an option. The lace that was made in Alencon was made with a needle which was considered an elite way to make lace. Only master lace makers could make the quality lace with a needle and Alencon was noted for producing such quality lace.

Bobbin Lace

Bobbin lace was already being produced in 1602 in a town called Arras and was noted for the gold lace that was made there. When production of thread lace was started it was very strong and coarse. The original bobbin lace style had a straight edge however; it was replaced with a scalloped edge as production of the lace was increased.

Chantilly Lace

Chantilly lace is a silk lace that lent its name to the town where it was made in France, Chantilly. This type of lace was a favorite among French ladies that were high in society. The records of the royal court also show that Chantilly lace was a favorite item to be purchased and kept in inventory. Chantilly lace was made of black silk and reached the height of popularity from 1830 to 1840.

References

• Fleur d'Andeol: Lace of France
• The History of Lace