Front:
LacerakMyŞA 22
14
1987
48191
Back:
THE HISTORY OF LACEMAKING
First Day of Issue: August 14, 1987
First Issue Location: Ypsilant, Michigan
The delicate art of lacemaking can trace its origins to
late fifteenth century Italy and Flanders. Used as a de-
corative touch to apparel, lacemaking evolved from
needlepoint work such as the the Italian reticella (little
net) cut work. A type of embroidery, lacemaking is not
made from woven textiles, but rather from patterns
worked in buttonhole stitches also known as punto in
aria (stitch in the air). Lacemaking flourished in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with several Euro-
pean nations developing one or more characteristic
styles. Point de France, for example, was a low relief
needle lace highlighted by decorative motifs balanced
on a background of hexagonal mesh. In the periods of
its greatest use and popularity — as in the reign of French
King Louis XIV — lacemaking was considered a form of
high art and patterns were drawn by official court pain-
ters. As the “New World" became settled, Europeans -
particularly the English and Spanish — brought lacemak-
ng to America.
No. 87-76
©1987 The Maximum Card Collection
A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007
Original painting by Tom Bjarnason.
