Before I tell you of my success at the library, I think this will be a real test of the new system of sending and receiving emails to Arachne. I have the hardest problem of all: a Mac running OS 10.2. I sure hope it will work. But be warned, if it does work, you'll be hearing from me more often!
Yesterday was the culmination for me of two years of frustrating research on the donations Mme Normant made to the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in 1902. I had written and called and done everything else I could think of to get someone to access the files and see what and when she had donated the items. All frustratingly without results. So, thanks to Jeri's telling us that the library of the Arts Decoratifs was open (after six years of renovation), I went down there yesterday afternoon and in under two hours got all I wanted to know. Mme Normant (my son in law's great grandmother) donated a Point de France flounce and an 18th century dress to the museum in 1902 and a number of household items in 1920, probably when she had gotten old and was retiring to the country. The flounce has been mentioned many times in many publications (Pat Wardle's reference is the latest in her book "75X"), but I hadn't known of the dress. The information the museum gave me included a long list of references of publications in which the dress has appeared. Nothing was available in their files on the flounce because it hasn't yet been catalogued on line, but I think I have found most of them on my own. Now, for the information on the library. (The museum itself is closed, so don't bother with that. They are reorganizing and re-storing everything, so who knows when it will open again.) You can access their site at < http://www.bibliothequedesartsdecoratifs.com/> and can see what they have put on line. It's good, but only deals with fairly new stuff, not the old things I was looking for. They are open Tuesday through Sunday, other info listed on the site. Anyone can go in, and they are very friendly. You can get a two-day pass with no trouble just by showing your passport or other photo ID, and a two-year researcher's pass with only the presentation of a photo to go on the ID card they will give you. Mme Sartre is the head librarian, and it was she who went to all the trouble to contact the man upstairs for the files I needed. There are many huge albums of lace pictures in the Collection Maciet, right there in the reading room to leaf through at will. #288 are the laces, many volumes. If you are in Paris, be sure to go there. Tess ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED]
