Pair of women's triple sleeve ruffles of figured silk gauze with linen bobbin lace, 1760s, British

Pair of women's triple sleeve ruffles of silk gauze woven with spaced, horizontal lines in a thicker silk thread. The scalloped edges are trimmed with simple linen bobbin lace ⅝ inches (1.5 cm) deep. The lace (probably from the English Midland Counties) has a twist net ground and a simple pattern of two interlaced serpentine lines of gimp thread which form rows of roundels, the upper ones are filled with 'spiders'. The 3 layers are pleated and bound with 1-inch (2.5 cm) ivory silk grosgrain ribbon.

Registered File number 1985/47.
The ruffles were removed from the late 1770s polonaise dress of painted silk (T.30-1910) when it was removed from the old Costume Court in 1979. The dress was trimmed with ruffles of the 19th century machine-made lace when it was acquired by the Museum. It was possible that the lace was wrongly identified and that these are the original ruffles (although of the wrong date for the dress), or they may have been unregistered accessories put on in 1962 when the dress went on display.

Lace is probably from the English Midland Counties

T.4&A-1985