Whitework

Linen handkerchief from England, second half 19th cenury, with whitework and bobbin lace. Linen handkerchief from England, second half 19th cenury, with whitework and bobbin lace. Copyright Victoria and Albert Museum, London, acc. no. T.77-1939.

Whitework is a general term for a group of embroidery styles that are worked in a white thread on a white ground material. Some forms are sometimes classed as forms of embroidered lace.

There are many different forms of whitework, but some of the most widely known are Ayrshire whitework, broderie anglaise, chikan embroidery, Dresden work; Fontenoy embroideryHardanger embroidery, Mountmellick embroidery and St. Gallen embroidery. See also: Hans Holbein the Younger and whitework

Sources:

  • EARNSHAW, Pat (1984). A Dictionary of Lace, Aylesbury: Shire Publications Ltd, p. 185.
  • MARSH, Gail (2006). 18th Century Embroidery Techniques, Lewes: Guild of Master Craftsman Publications. Paperback edition 2012, pp. 110-121.
  • TOOMER, Heather (2008). Embroidered with White: The 18th Century Fashion for Dresden Lace and Other Whiteworked Accessories, Private Publication: Heather Toomer Antique Lace.

V&A online catalogue (retrieved 22 June 2016).

GVE

Last modified on Thursday, 05 January 2017 16:57