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.