Calavas Frères
[Sample of Lace]

CultureFrench
Titles
  • [Sample of Lace]
Datec. 1880s
Published inParis, France
MediumCyanotype
DimensionsImage: 28 11/16 × 19 1/2 in. (72.8 × 49.5 cm)
Sheet: 28 11/16 × 19 1/2 in. (72.8 × 49.5 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Bryn Larsen in honor of Stephanie Larsen
Object number2016.130
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
Description

Invented in the 1840s, the cyanotype utilizes an iron
salt solution that oxidizes in sunlight, producing the distinctive blue color
for which it is named. A variation of the process was used for decades to create
blueprints—duplicates of architectural drawings. This cyanotype records an
elegant Point de Gaze lace, an expensive 19th-century textile. Though the
mesh-ground of the lace was manufactured by machine, the pattern was produced
by hand. This example was part of a larger book of cyanotypes of lace, possibly
a pattern book for home use or a salesman’s sampler catalogue. The quality of the
pattern and the large size of the swatch suggest this cyanotype was intended to
attract wealthy and stylish clients.




Provenance[Robert Hershkowitz Limited, Sussex, England]; purchased by MFAH, 2016.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed in image, lower left: PL.59.CL60

verso: drawing in graphite

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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