Sierstuk voor een avondmantel van gemengde kant met rozenhaag 1915

Curator: This is "Sierstuk voor een avondmantel van gemengde kant met rozenhaag," a mixed lace collar piece by Martha Berkers, created around 1915. It is a very intriguing garment. Editor: Yes, it’s beautiful. It's so delicate. You can imagine it adorning a very luxurious garment. The level of detail must have taken so long to make! What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: I'm interested in thinking about the social context surrounding the labor required to produce this collar. Given its time period, 1915, during wartime, the labor of creating such an intricate item highlights contrasts. Was it created by women for their own adornment, or was it commissioned, potentially signifying a separation of classes, a very specific relationship to materiality? Editor: That’s a great point. So it is less about its pure aesthetics and more about its production process and societal context? Curator: Exactly. The type of lace, the intricacy of the rose design, the fiberwork: each decision has an underlying production story. Examining what kind of labour was readily available and valued at the time, allows a much better grasp of both material and social implications. Who had the time, resources and skills to produce something like this, and for what purpose? How was her labor valued? Editor: I never thought of lace-making in this way before; how it intersects with economy, labor and gender roles of that period. Curator: The piece compels us to confront the complex economic and societal structures inherent in the creation and consumption of such delicate and, perhaps, outwardly simple luxury goods. These objects whisper untold narratives of making and ownership. Editor: So, from a materialist lens, it seems like this lace collar is not merely beautiful; it’s a window into understanding broader historical inequalities and production methods. Thanks, I see that. Curator: Absolutely. It makes you consider the maker behind the lace, doesn't it?