"Elizabeth Ligeti" wrote: “Somewhere I read of some old men on the continent,(6 or 7 of them, I think.) who taught lacemaking at a lace School - and their beards were so long they had them tied up in little bags to keep them out of the way of the pins!!!!!”
Do take a look at Tønder in Mrs. Palliser. It has been told that a man by the name of Steenbeck from Westphalia introduced lacemaking to Tønder in 1646, and he imported the old men to teach lace. Research has shown that Steenbeck was an entrepreneur and that he very successfully avoided paying tax as a citizen of Tønder for years. This story has been much discussed and ‘disproved’ by some, it looks as if it was first published in 1758. Westphalia was not a lace area. However, somebody says they have seen that the miners in the Erzgebirge made lace with their beards in bags. I don’t find it difficult to imagine that Steenbeck imported thread from Westphalia and old men from the Erzgebirge. The other point is the problem of the date. A lacemaker found a Gold Horn in 1639, and our King Christian IV bought lace in the area several times in 1619-20. However, ‘to introduce lacemaking’ has changed its meaning, for us it is the craft becoming known, but in the 18th cent. It meant establishing an industry, and Steenbeck might well be the first major lace dealer, thanks to his knowledge of business and the old men. Vibeke in Copenhagen - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
