Lace-Making—Oldest of Crafts — Has Its Devotees In New Zealand

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 19, 16 November 1934, Page 49

Lace-Making—Oldest of Crafts — Has Its Devotees In New Zealand

Christchurch Girl, of French Descent, has Mastered the Art

ACE is always exquisite, and down through the sages fashion has dictated it. for’ its daintiness and appeal to both sexes. Most men will admit that from earliest childhood they: have always had a weakness for lace. In these days hand-made lace can scarcely be made for commercial purposes, though it is so. fascinating that no doubt many girls, with a real love for -beautiful handiwork, would enjoy making it and could-create for themselves rare and exquisite examples of the craft if. the opportunity to learn occurred. Miss Marian Thomson, of Christchurch, is a New Zealand girl who had the opportunity to learn at a very early age. Both her grand-parents on her mother’s side were’ French, and her mother, who had watched the lace-makers working in Brittany, taught her daughter many of the intricate secrets of the art. A few years ago Miss Thomson: made a wedding veil for her cousin,in Honolulu, and in her spare time worked herself.a ‘glorious evening froék, ’ Miss Thomson was asked to exhibit this frock at the Christchurch Winter Show this year. It attracted a great deal of attention, and was admired by Lady Bledisloe, who has on several occasions sought out this Christchurch girl’s marquetry souvenirs for sending overseas. Miss Thomson is an artist who is well-kiiown for her clever paintings of New . Zealand scenes, Maori portraits and native flora and fauna, which she does on plaques, powder bowls and other such’: articles. From earliest childhood, Miss Thomson has been sur-’ rounded by an artistic atmosphere and in her studio in New’ Regent Street, Christchurch’s quaint Spanish street, she has many valuable paintings, induding paintings by Van der’ Velden, a famous pastoral landscape by Arnesby Brown, a portrait of the late Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson in her gar--den, painted by*Nerli, etchings by Millais and Clausden and other notable artists. Miss Thomson, who is as dainty as the lace which she has on display, said, in her interview with the "Radio Record" representative who called on her, that she has read a great deal about the history of lace, as she finds the subject such an interesting one. "The origin of lace is rather obscure, but the Jewish embroiderers, even in early times, seem to have carried their art toa high standard of execution, because in the Dnglish Bible lace is frequently mentioned," said Miss Thomson. "With the Egyptians the art of embroidery was general, examples of elaborate netting having been found in Egyptian tombs. The Sidonian women brought by Paris to Troy embroidered veils of such rich work that Hacuba deemed them worthy of being offered to Athene, and Lucan spoke of the Sidonian veil worn by Cleopatra at a feast in her Alexandrine palace.in honour of Caesar. "In the London chronicle of 1767 will be found a curious account of the opening of a Scandinavian barrow near Wareham in Dorsetshire. . Within the hollow icunk of an oak were discovered many bones wrapped in a covering of deerskins neatly sewn, together. There were also the remains of a piece of gold lace of the most ancient and universal of all designs found depicted on the coats of ancient Danes. "Passing to the first stages.of the Christian era, we find the Pontifical ornaments, altar cloths and draperies in the churches worked with holy images. In the middle ages spinning and needlework were the occupation of women of all degrees. Long before the Conquest Anglo-Saxon women were skilled with the needle

"The lace industry. found its way to Devonshire by Flemish refugees flying from the persecutions of the Duke of Alva and many of the great houses in BPngland are store houses of old needlework. From her constant in‘tereourse with France, lace must have been early known in Scotland. lace making being first mentioned.

there in 1621. The needlework of Scotland’s Mary is too well known to require mention. The women of Ireland possess an undoubted aptitude for lace making. Ivish Point lace owes its origin to the failure of the potato crop in 1846 and its original inspiration was given by a piece of Point de Milan which fell into the hands of the Reverend Mother of a Convent in County Cork. She conceived the idea of setting "up an industry for the children attending her school and studied the lace, unravelled the threads one by one and succeeded in mastering the details which she taught to her pupus. , . "Lace first appeared in France in 1540 when Henri II. adopted the fashion of lace ruffs to conceal a scar. Lace is much in evidence in a portrait of him painted at Versailles, To the Italian influences of the 16th century France owes the fashion for point lace. By 1673. the art of Iacemaking had spread far and wide through the district about Alencon. Children of 7 years of age, and aged men earned their daily bread by it, and the shepherdesses worked at their lace while her ding their flocks. The approval of Louis XIV who was much in the work was the fortune of Alencon; point de France adopted by Court etiquette, the wearing of it became compulsory at Versailles. Tint de France supplanted that of Venice from which it was originally copied, but its price confined its use to the rich, and when the wearing ‘of lace became general, those who could not ,afford so costly a production replaced it by the more moderate pillow lace. | "In this lhixury, however, England followed her sister kingdom, for we read in the Royal Magazine of 1763 that on the Baptism of the young Prince, afterwards Duke of York, the company went to the Council Chamber at St. James’s, where a splendid bed was set up for the Queen to sit on, the counternpane of which is described as being inimitable workmanship, the lace alone costing £3.783 sterling. "Napoleon was a great lover of lace; he admired: it as a work of art, and was proud of the proficiency of His subjects. France is a lacemaking as well as a lace-wearing eountry. Of the half qa million of lace-makers in Europe, nearly a quarter of a million are estimated as belonging to France, but, with the introduction of machinery, handwork . has become more rare." : _ » Miss Thomson said that it took her two years to make her evening frock, which she made in her spare time, It ‘is mounted over palest pink banded and gathered georgette. The bodice is tight-fitting, and over it lightly falls a lace cape fastening at the side and edged with soft, white fur. This delightful original blue frock js most becoming to its fair creator with.pansy eyes, who regrets that her work. of painting New Zealand souvenirs leaves her go little time for her fascinating hobby of lace-making.