There is a beautiful piece of needlelace 'worked in human hair with thicker outlines possibly in horsehair' on show in the new British Galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. You have to open a drawer to find it (it's always worth opening drawers at the V&A!)Dated 1640-1680, it shows a hunting scene, with a hound chasing a stag through oversized foliage typical of the period, plus a parrot. Its in several shades of brown, so presumably used several people's hair. Interestingly, they say that the hair was treated with a 'gummed substance, possibly wax' to keep it in place. The use of hair for lace, embroidery and other dress decorations goes back at least to Elizabethan times: 'In 1602 Dorothy Speckard supplied Elizabeth I with small lace decorations, such as pyramids and globes, for use on clothing'(the quotes are from an information sheet available at the museum)The lace is on the museum's computer database, which will eventually be available online.www.vam.ac.uk Bridget, on a bright, frosty morning in Watford, England
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