Susan I'm not aware of such a timeline, and I am somewhat leery of creating one. I have many times thought about something like that, but have shied off each time. The reason is that the timeline, just for bobbin and needle lace alone, is enormously complex, convoluted, and open to disagreement. Creating a timeline alone would not be much help without photos to illustrate. Laces prior to 1700 are almost impossible to find photos of online, though I have a few. My pinboards on pinterest are partly an attempt to deal with one aspect of the problem, namely the various kinds which have names. I do have specific markers in my head for when certain technical elements appeared. But even sorting something like "continental part lace" into a coherent dated sequence is very difficult. The amount of work involved is daunting.
The best I can offer at present is to suggest you look at my boards. In many cases (but not universally, yet) I have attached dates which I believe are reasonably correct. But in many cases I have mixed modern interpretations of a type into a group which has historical pieces, so viewers can see how modern design can express the same working methods. And I readily admit that my understanding of the details of needle lace history does not come anywhere near my understanding of bobbin lace history. There is one thing to keep in mind pertaining to the various needlework encyclopedias that were written between 1850 and 1920 -- they represent styles of lace that would be popular among hobbyists -- the people who would be buying and using those books. Professional lacemakers, who represent the peak of skill and knowledge, would not be using those books. They would not need to. Also anything involving machine made net could not possibly exist before 1780 (or thereabouts), when the net making machines were invented, and virtually all of it is later than 1820. https://www.pinterest.com/lynxlacelady/ Lorelei Halley - 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/
