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Flounce

ca. 1867
Not on view
Trimmings of real handmade lace were very expensive prized possessions, and a piece as fine as this may never have been used. Queen Victoria had tried unsuccessfully to revive interest in Honiton laces, handmade in Devon, with the order for her magnificent wedding flounce, but the craft was already too far gone in the face of competition from machine production. After 1861, she wore the flounce with her mourning dress for the rest of her life.

As a result of the disappearance of lacemaking by hand on a commercial scale, collecting antique handmade lace became very popular in the late nineteenth century. Pieces such as collars and flounces were purchased to be worn. Exhibition pieces continued to be made, mostly in the form of handkerchief borders, until at least 1900. The Museum owns a number of fine examples.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Flounce
  • Manufactory: Verdé, Delisle & Cie.
  • Date: ca. 1867
  • Culture: Belgian, Brussels
  • Medium: Needle lace, Brussels needle lace, Point de Gaze
  • Dimensions: L. 117 1/2 inches
    298.5 cm
  • Classification: Textiles-Laces
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Edward S. Harkness, 1943
  • Object Number: 43.37.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

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Border, Verdé, Delisle & Cie., Needle lace, Brussels needle lace, Point de Gaze, Belgian, Brussels
Border
Verdé, Delisle & Cie.
ca. 1867
Handkerchief with needle lace border, Linen, needle lace, Belgian
Handkerchief with needle lace border
Belgian
late 19th century
Handkerchief, Needle lace, Brussels needle lace, Point de Gaze, linen, Belgian, Brussels
Handkerchief
Belgian, Brussels
1860–80
Handkerchief, Needle lace, Brussels needle lace, Point de Gaze, linen, Belgian, Brussels
Handkerchief
Belgian, Brussels
late 19th century
Handkerchief, Needle lace, Brussels needle lace, Point de Gaze, linen, Belgian, Brussels
Handkerchief
Belgian, Brussels
late 19th century

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