Hello Jeanette
Yes that would be Luton though I'm not sure the room setting is still there.
I think the only other such setting was at the former Alby Lace Museum in
Norfolk.
The story regarding a worker only producing one or two patterns in her life
I've heard before and find rather hard to comprehend as there are lace
workers sample books/collections in existence - I have a very basic one that
came from a lace worker from Weedon in Northamptonshire. Just a sheet of
blue paper with 7 samples stitched to it, a collection of 3 Torchon, 1
narrow Bucks and 3 Bedfordshire. Given the life span of quite a few of the
old lacemakers surely they would have needed to keep up with changes in
'fashion trends' to a certain extent.
A local news channel last week featured the opening of the new art gallery
at Bedford in a converted building somewhere near the old gallery/museum -
all part of a larger complex I believe. There was no mention of the Cecil
Higgins and Bedford Museum, possibly in time these will also form part of
aforesaid complex.
Diana in Northamptonshire where today Spring has sprung - but will probably
go back to sleep tomorrow!!
----- Original Message -----
From: "jeanette" <[email protected]>
To: "arachne" <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 5:03 PM
Subject: [lace] Luton museum
During 1996 four of us had a lace tour with Liz Bartlett and visited all
the
Midlands museums. One museum had a display of a lacemaker sitting in a
cottage making lace and Liz was most upset by the display as she did not
consider it a true reflection of the conditions lacemakers worked under.
I
think this was the Luton Museum and it was the most charming museum of
them
all. She said the room was too grand, the lacemaker was dressed too
smartly
and she also was wearing a lace collar which was unlikely. She was also
working on a Beds piece with a Bucks piece lying around - both difficult
patterns and she said any lacemaker ever worked only one or two patterns
in
her life and did not go from one kind of lace to another as we do. We ,
ignorami from South Africa, thought it was a lovely display!!! We thought
that most people would just enjoy the display but Liz said that being a
museum it should be factually correct. One museum had a lovely display of
pincushions. I have all this on video but the video player has decided to
stop working so I cannot check to see which museum it was. But I do think
that I saw the bobbins because Liz then gave a talk on the hanging
bobbins.
Factually correct or not, it was a most enjoyable trip. How does the
saying
go - Been there, done that, forgotten most of it!!
Jeanette Fischer, Western Cape, South Africa.
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