Tamara P Duvall wrote:
On Jun 5, 2006, at 20:28, Aurelia Loveman wrote:
I remember the teacher [...] telling us that we should reckon on
making an inch per hour (a square inch? a running inch?).
That is, indeed, an intriguing question, since there's _quite_ a
difference between the two... There's also quite a difference between
an inch (either square or running) of lace made with 60/2 linen and
140/2 cotton. And between an inch (again, either running or square) of
"grounded" lace versus a "tape" lace. Those terms ("an inch an hour",
"8 times weight in gold") are eye-catching and memorable, but hardly
_precise_ :)
In addition to Santina Levy's book (quoted by Beth Schoenberg earlier)
two other (and less expensive <g>) books offer some insight into the
value of lace: "Lace in Fashion" by Pat Earnshaw and "History of Lace"
by Mrs Bury Palliser. Palliser is more likely than Earnshaw to make
some of those sweeping but rather imprecise (and often
unsubstantiated) statements (I seem to remember something along the
lines of: "a pair of cuffs cost a village", though can't find the
exact quote at the moment) but even she has lots of quotes from direct
sources.
The problem is that all the evaluations are "all over the place" --
different laces, different times, different countries/regions. It's
difficult, if not impossible, to "translate" those into our current
terms.
And, as several people have pointed out (Aurelia and Rochelle), the
price at which lace sold was not the price the lacemakers got for
making it. I expect that no lacemaker ever starved, unlike some of her
less-skilled "sisters", but they were not paid princely wages either,
even if their product was sold to princes (either of the realm or the
church). IOW, Joyce, the go-between, the broker, might have sold your
half-ounce piece of Chantilly for an arm and a leg, but _you_ would
still have only got an equivalent of a small toe for all your effort :)
Quite naturally, most of the books mention the sale prices, ie the
upper end of the lacemaking. First, those are the numbers which are
easier to find in various records -- marriage contracts, estate
evaluations etc. Secondly, those numbers (and the association with the
richest) are the ones which sound more impressive (Devon once said
that an exhibit of "Royal Laces" would have a much better chance of
happening than a plain vanilla "Lace Through the Ages"). So I found it
very interesting to stumble upon the following quote in Mrs
Palliser's book (I was trying to find the cuff and the village one <g>):
'When, in 1756, Mrs Calderwood visited the Béguinage at Brussels, she
wrote to a friend describing the lace-making. "A part of their work is
grounding lace; the manufacture is very curious. One person works the
flowers. They are all sold separate, and you will see a very pretty
sprig, for which the worker only gets twelve sous" [...]' (quote is
from: "Mrs Calderwood's Journey through Holland and Belgium", 1756.
Printed by the Maitland Club)
OK. I have no idea what one could buy for 12 sous in 1756 Brussels
but, judging by the word "only" used in Mrs Calderwood's quote, it
couldn't have ben much. OTOH, a sprig of Brussels lace flowers was
likely to take more than a day to make, given the "extraordinary
fineness" (Mrs Palliser) of the thread. And it required more skill
than that involved in "grounding". I'd hate to guess what the
"grounders" got for their effort...
are lacemakers so unskilled as to merit only a “minimum wage”?
I think the concept of "minimum wage" (imposed on employers by the
government) is relatively new -- probably less than 100yrs old. Before
then, it was the unbridled market force (imposed on the employees by
the employers) which dictated how much the lacemaker got for her
efforts. Same as it is now -- in this particular instance -- which is
why so few lacemakers can afford to make lace for sale and why most of
us are amateurs.
The minimum wage is an idea of 'New Labour'. So is very young. It
now stands at just above £5 for 18 + years less for children. Even so
employers do not all obey the law and find ways of getting round paying
the full wage.
Sheila in lovely sunshine in Sawbo'.
-
To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line:
unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
