Accession Number

2009.006.001a-b-.002a-b

Description

Four curtain panels of cream-coloured machine-made lace comprising two pairs, the principle design feature being repeating patterns of acanthus leaves and flowers.

Narrative

These machine-made lace window curtains are rare surviving examples of the type of lace curtains found in many 19th Century houses. One reason for their rarity is that they are made of cotton and were intended to be hung in windows where they would be exposed to intense ultra-violet and visible light. All curtains degrade in that environment and are eventually discarded.

These particular curtains were in precarious physical condition when they came into the Castle's collection. The plain sheer-woven areas between the stronger patterned areas were disintegrating. A team of volunteers and staff worked tirelessly to encase each panel in a sheer envelope of tuelle (a very sheer synthetic fabric) which held the historic curtains in position and lessened the strain on the historic cotton fibres.

History of Use

The donor acquired these panels from a gentleman who had used them in an important Victorian-era mansion situated on 1st Avenue at Balboa Park, San Diego, California, USA. The panels are believed to be original to that house, and were made sometime between 1885 and 1900.

Date

circa 1890

Dimensions

314.96 x 104.14 cm

Material

Lace

Technique

Woven

Country of Origin

United States of America