There are many Spanish lacemakers in our world, so I thought I'd bring attention to the photo on page 19 of the 2nd quarter 2013 OIDFA Bulletin. The caption says "The Castells family working - 1906", and provides a picture of 4 men working, 3 on very large bolsters and the 4th at a table. In "Hispanic Lace and Lace Making" by Florence Lewis Mays, published by The Hispanic Society of America in 1939, reprinted in 1980 - this picture of men (Fig. 300) has a caption "Designing and pricking lace patterns at Arenys de Mar". This is important to highlight, based on the following history from the text: "The house of the brothers Mariano and Joaquin Castells at Arenys de Mar is well known, having been founded by their mother in 1862 with the purpose of teaching the women of the surrounding district the fast-disappearing art of lace making as formerly practiced in the region. To this end, the Widow Castells obtained thread from Ireland and Germany, installed lace tripods and pillows, and proceeded to engage the interest of neighbors in the venture. The house prospered. Some old pricked patterns in the Catalan style, which had been preserved, served as models for modern work, these supplemented by volumes on French and foreign laces, which were often consulted for new ideas in design. The patterns distributed by the family number well over 10,000 and are in use from Palamos to Molins de Rey, as well as in other parts of Spain....." I purchased this 417-page book directly from The Hispanic Society of America, in New York City in 2002 for $15 plus $5 postage. This is still the book price quoted on the Publications tab at http://www.hispanicsociety.org/ If you want the book and book dealers are quoting outrageous prices, you should go directly to the society's book store. I ordered by phone. The book is full of lace history and information about the centers of lace making in Spain and Portugal. It has 410 old black and white photos. Incidentally, there are references to, and pictures of, lacemakers 3 years old - an age our generation thinks is impossible. They have been dressed up in their finest clothes, but so have the adults! You can find a little more information at http://www.arenysdemar.cat/museu/mares/00mares_i.htm
Finally, our Devon wrote a series of articles about The Hispanic Society of America's laces for The International Old Lacers bulletin a few years ago. If you have another book on Portuguese or Spanish lace, I suggest you print this memo and put in the book. At a future date, you'll have the information at hand. Jeri Ames in Maine USA Lace and Embroidery Resource Center - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
