Maureen, Thanks for placing this in time for us. It was the February Revolution, the revolution that overthrew Louise Philippe that forced the departure of the lace workers to Australia. From Wikipedia it would appear that this led to Louise Napoleon, Napoleon III taking the throne, and resulted in the finest moments of mid-19th century lace, the gorgeous wardrobe of the Empress Eugenie, and the immortalization of her lace bedecked image by the painter Winterhalter. I suppose that as we enjoy the lavish handmade flounces of mid-century royal lace, we should spare a thought for the English machine lace makers who were collateral damage, forced to become farm hands in Australia. Devon
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