American Boys' Lace Collar: Types of Lace


Figure 1.--Here we see two American brothers with identical Little Lord Fauntleroy outfits. The boys have large collars with eyelet lace. The only difference we see is the cut-out patterns of the eyelet lace are different. The collars look to be rounded in the front with a back flap. We think they were attached collars, part of a Fauntleroy blouse. Mother has added matching patterned floppy bows. The boys are unidentified, but look to be about 10-12 years of age. The studio is not indicated, but from the mount style we would guess the portrait was taken avout 1900-05.

We find several different types of lace, based primarily on how the lace was made, used clothing in America. including boys' clothing. Occasionally laces are made by knitting, crocheting, or tatting. The finest laces are made without use of a background fabric; these are bobbin lace and needle pointor lace. These are the fine Belgian laces. HBC has little technical information about lace, but have begun to collect some basic information. Some of these lace types were very expensive because of the intricate patterns and cost of producing, often involving demanding hand work. These collars tended to be relatively small and used as pin-on collars rather than part of a Funtleroy blouse. For these reasons, mothers tended to prefer eyelet lace to the bobbin, point lace. Not inly was the bobbin/point lace expensive, but it could not b done in really large sized like the large rugfledc collars that mothers so adored for Fauntleroy outfits. One of the most common tyoes of lace used for boys' blouses was eylet or cut out lace, It as not as expensive or labor intensive as some other forms of lace. It actually was not a true form of lace, but mention it here as it was so commomn and referred to as lace and used like lace. It was, however, easlly incorporated into the large ruffled collars that became popular with Fauntleroy blouses. We see these collars in different shapes and sizes. And there was a virtully infentinte number of cut-out shapes and arangements. Notice that the boys here have identicl outfits except that the cut-out patterns for rge eyelets are different (figure 1). A good example is a Fauntleroy blouse worn by Charles Lamson about 1903. Some of these lace types are relativell easy to identify from the photographic record such as crochet and eyelet lace. Others we are not sure how to identify in available photographs , such as the difference between tating and point lace. We find several different types of lace, based primarily on how the lace was made, used for clothing in America, including boys' clothing.

Types

Some of these lace types are relativell easy to identify from the photographic record such as crochet and eyelet lace. Others we are not sure how to identify in available photographs , such as the difference between tating and point lace.

Knitting


Crocheting


Tatting


Fine Laces

The finest laces are made without use of a background fabric; these are bobbin lace and needle pointor lace. These are the fine Belgian laces. HBC has little technical information about lace, but have begun to collect some basic information. Some of these lace types were very expensive because of the intricate patterns and cost of producing, often involving demanding hand work. These collars tended to be relatively small and used as pin-on collars rather than part of the huge losses often used for Fauntleroy outfits.

Eylet Lace

Eyelet lace was the primary type of lace used on children's clothing. Strictly speaking it is not a true lace, but it has lacy look and served the same decorative functionas real lace asis so commonly referred to as lace. So we have included it here. Because fine laces iike bobbin and pont lace were so expensive mothers tended to choose eyelet lace for the lace used on children clothes. Not only was the bobbin/point lace expensive, but it could not be done in really large sized like the large ruffled collars that mothers so adored for Fauntleroy outfits. It was used on several different children's garments. Perhaps the most common boys garment usig lace was the blouse which was so popular during the Fauntleroy era. And most of what we see on thse blouses was eyele lace. It as not as expensive or labor intensive as some other forms of lace. And thus could be used in copious amounts in the typically large Fauntleroy collars. As popular as the collrs were and commnly refeered to as lace collars, we see very little true lace meaning the fine lace types. The eyelet lace was easlly incorporated into the large ruffled Fauntleroy collars. We see these collars in different shapes and sizes. And there was a virtully infentinte number of cut-out shapes and arangements. Notice that the boys here have identicl outfits except that the cut-out patterns for the eyelets are different (figure 1). A good example is a Fauntleroy blouse worn by Charles Lamson about 1903. Fauntleroy blouses were not the only boys' garments. We also see lace on dressy tunic suits and a variety of other garments. It was of course even more common on girls clothes such as blouses, dresses, slips, and pantalettes. Some of these same garments were worn by younger boys as well. A good example of the use on girlls clothes is the trim on summer frocks worm by the Keek girls in the 1910s.







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Created: 3:20 PM 11/18/2014
Last updated: 11:53 AM 10/4/2016