Tussenzetsel van roomwitte machinale kant met patroon van aaneengeschakelde bloemen, op karton c. 1925

This is a roll of machine-made, cream-white lace, with a pattern of interconnected flowers. It’s mounted on a piece of cardboard, and now resides in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. The key thing to note here is that this is machine-made lace. Before the industrial revolution, lace was made by hand, a painstaking process. It became a symbol of wealth and status, adorning the garments of the elite. But with the advent of machines capable of producing lace, things changed dramatically. Suddenly, lace was available to a much wider segment of society. This had huge implications for the labor market, as many skilled lacemakers found themselves out of work. But it also democratized fashion, as ordinary people could now afford to incorporate this delicate material into their clothing and home décor. This little roll of lace, therefore, embodies a pivotal moment in the history of production and consumption, reflecting the complex interplay between craft, technology, and society.