Beds Handkerchief

10.5" square, lace is 2" deep.
Very good condition, never used. I'm leaving this the way it is because I think it is an original mount. The piece is sewn onto light blue tissue with long white basting stitches. Tissue torn in places, but almost all there. Faint yellow stains on the center cloth.

Raised and long tallies, honeycomb fillings. "Honeycomb Design". This design is shown on page 11 of Armstron's "An Interesting Home Industry" catalog.

The clipped tag is sewn on, and reads:

front:
Home Made Lace
This Lace is made at home by the village women in the same way as it used to be done in Queen Catherine of Aragon's time-whom tradition says introduce the industry into England in 1500.
pencil notes: "Honeycomb Design"
Hankie 907 at (corner cut off)
back:
The money for each piece of work goes direct to the Lace Maker.
...rmstrong (could be Mrs. H. Armstrong), Lace Industry, Olney, Eng.
pencil note: H. Slater (sic.)

A similar handkerchief mounted on blue tissue with the same tag is shown at http://tinyurl.com/z34rvjt.

purchased 11/26/2018
first posted 12/31/2018