ses.

About the middle of the eighteenth century Chantilly began to produce
black silk lace of very fine quality. This is practically the only black
lace for which there is any market. A Chantilly fan or a Chantilly shawl
will always find purchasers. The exquisite fineness of its ground, the
elegance of its floral festoons and bouquets, make it a desirable
possession. With the Revolution the manufacture of real old black
Chantilly ceased, and was only revived with the Empire, when, in
addition to copying the old designs, the manufacture of the famous
_blonde_ laces was commenced.

_French Blonde Lace._

At first these filmy silk laces were made in the natural colour floss
silk imported from China, hence its name "Blonde." Some of the finest
specimens are in this colour. Afterwards, when the art of bleaching the
silk was discovered, it was made in a peculiarly silvery colour, the
loosely woven silk being worked in patterns on what appears a ground of
gossamer. Black Blonde was afterwards manufactured, the lace being very
different to that of nineteenth-century manufacture, the mesh being
large and open. This was a favourite lace with the Spaniards for
mantillas, and much prosperity resulted to the little town of Chantilly.
As with all other laces, the introduction of machinery killed the
industry as an art, and the only Blonde laces now made are by machine,
and are quite inartistic and inelegant. Hand-made Chantilly in black
silk is still manufactured, but it has only a limited output.

[Illustration: "THE EMPRESS EUGENIE" WEARING BLONDE LACE.

(_From a Baxter print._)]

_Other French Laces._

Lace has been made in many smaller towns in France, but in no instance
has it been of sufficient artistic merit to have made a name. Caen
manufactured Blonde lace in imitation of Chantilly. In Normandy the
peasant women and girls in the eighteenth century were specially
diligent, and made praiseworthy imitations of Mechlin, Flemish guipure
laces, and Brussels, and also introduced the working of gold and silver
thread and even beads, which was much used in churches. Some really
exquisite Blonde lace made in this manner was produced at Caen, fine
pearls were used in the place of beads, and this lace became extremely
popular in England. The Empress Eugenie was particularly fond of it, and
in most of the portraits of her at the zenith of her beauty she is seen
wearing decorated Blonde lace. It is said that this lace so soon