Locating Lace in the Landscape of Desire: Mapping the Hidden Histories of the Antique Lace Trade through the Blackborne Collection at The Bowes Museum

The Blackborne collection at the Bowes Museum, donated in 2007, is one of the largest and most important lace collections in the world. It comprises 7000 items, dating from the sixteenth to the early twentieth centuries, from the remaining stock and study collection of the Victorian-era father and son lace dealers, A. Blackborne and Company of London, who supplied antique lace to collectors, museums like the Met, and fashionable clients. The collection features many rare pieces of lace, including a man’s needle lace collar made in England around 1635,a large selection of lappets (part of a woman’s headdress) from the late seventeenth to the early nineteenth centuries, and spectacular dress flounces and veils from the late nineteenth century. All the major lace-making centres and techniques are represented in the collection. Despite its historical value, only a third of the collection has been catalogued, leaving critical aspects of its unique history and cultural significance unexplored. This project will provide the first comprehensive study of the collection, focusing on the 19th-century antique lace trade and its influence on fashion and society. During this period, the rise of machine-made lace disrupted the handmade lace industry, yet created a new demand among affluent buyers for antique handmade lace as markers of distinction. Antique lace became a valuable and coveted commodity, collected for its craftsmanship, adapted into contemporary garments, or used in costume and interior design. The project addresses three key themes: 1. The Antique Lace Trade: Examining the lace trade’s operation outside of major fashion centres and the impact of regional craftsmanship on 19th-century dress. 2. Collecting and Fashion: Investigating how and why collecting antique lace and its perceived value influenced fashionable dress and societal practices. 3. Valuation and Adaptation: Exploring motivations for collecting lace, its use in contemporary fashion, and the rationale for value-based comparisons between antique and machine-made lace. The project supports the second of The National Gallery/Bowes Museum Research Priorities, The Making of Meaning with its emphasis on object-based research and exploration of the structure and makers of lace, as well as its societal and commercial impact in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Through historical research, speculative methods, and digital humanities, the study will map the hidden histories of this international textile trade. Research stages include, cataloguing the collection, analysing lace origins, techniques and adaptations, and contextualizing the trade through visual and literary sources. The outcome of this project will be the first complete survey of the Blackborne lace collection, presenting a fuller understanding of both its scope and significance and relationship to other major lace collections in museums. Outputs will include a thesis contextualizing the collection’s importance, an interactive digital atlas mapping trade routes and object histories, and a curated exhibition at The Bowes Museum. These outputs will highlight the cultural and economic significance of antique lace, tracing its journey from craftsmanship to collectibles. The research will also create new knowledge of the collection, enhancing The Bowes Museum’s documentation and understanding of its significance, especially within the context of the wider museum collection as well as widening opportunities for interpretation.