Volunteer Catalogues The Blackborne Lace Collection at The Bowes Museum

At The Bowes Museum, a conservation volunteer named Holly has played a crucial role in cataloguing the extensive Blackborne Lace Collection, which features approximately 7,000 lace artifacts spanning from the sixteenth to early twentieth centuries. Collaborating with PhD student Brooke Stephens, Holly sifted through boxes that had remained unopened for over two decades. The collection boasts remarkable pieces, including an undershirt from King George IV and lace owned by Empress Eugénie, acquired by the Blackborne family at auction. Additionally, the boxes held photographs, flyers, and newspaper articles about antique lace loans to actresses in the 1950s, along with numerous lace fans. The cataloguing process involved identifying whether lace was handmade or machine-made, and for handmade items, discerning the technique and provenance. Holly also engaged in interventive conservation, cleaning and repackaging textiles. This endeavor supports the upcoming exhibition "Lace and Legacy: Fashion Treasures from The Blackborne Collection" in November. Both Holly and Brooke learned lacemaking from Northumbria Lacemakers to enhance their identification skills. The collection was previously showcased in the 2007 exhibition "Fine & Fashionable: Lace from The Blackborne Collection" and includes donations from Blackborne descendants made that same year.