Industrious Female Behaviour in 18th Century Art

While browsing paintings by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734-97) I came across this painting showing a Lady making filet lace.

In the description it is mentioned as industrious work and it so corresponds with what I'm reading currently in Amanda Vickery's book 'The Gentleman's Daughter', which stars on it's cover Mrs. Catherine Swindell painted by Wright.

The sitter in the Museum's portrait is making fillet lace, a length of which is attached to the small weighted bundle and to one of the two netting shuttles that she holds. Her scissors and workbag lie on the table. Such objects have been described by Stephen Daniels ["Joseph Wright," Princeton, 1999, p. 13] as “emblems of activity,” typical of a culture in which industrious behavior in the home was admired.

I love crafts and besides knitting and crocheting I teach myself how to tatt, which is seriously an art and I admire people (historical or living), who master it.

A wonderful site to join is intatters.com - here is a link to my intatters blog post on several tatting in art pics...


Look at the details below for how she holds her shuttles.