Karton met tussenzetsel van kant in écru, zwart en wit c. 1920

This is a sample of lace edging in ecru, black, and white, made by Gustav Schnitzler. It is presented on a card, wound around and around. The lace itself is quite simple. The ecru ground is a plain weave, and the black and white detailing is minimal, a simple geometric repeat. So why preserve it? What’s interesting is that the act of lacemaking, like all forms of weaving, has often been associated with women’s work. Lace was once an incredibly precious commodity, and even a small amount like this would have taken considerable time and skill to produce. And because that labor was so often devalued, literally built into the price of the material, it is important for us to notice it now, to give it a second consideration. In this way, something as simple as a length of machine-made lace can tell us a lot about the wider world of labor, politics, and consumption.