PRICELESS LACE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 January 1942, Page 7

PRICELESS LACE

SENT TO UNITED STATES. Beautiful old lace which once belonged to four Queens of England is part of the collection flown by a bomber to the United States for the benefit of a British war charity. The Queen herself presented to it a bridal veil believed to be worth £4OOO. Queen Mary sent some lovely pieces, including examples of the lace for which England is renowned and a deep flounce of point de gaze which belonged to Queen Alexandra. There were gathered for the collection rare Valenciennes, once worn by Queen Charlotte, Venetian point lace that graced the gowns of Marie Antoinette, beautiful pieces of point de Flandres. Brussels, Irish, Chantilly, point d’Alencon and England’s own Honifon. These heirlooms, offered for sale at the British Embassy, Washington, in the presence of Mrs Roosevelt and Lady Halifax, were collected by Lady Smith-Dorrien, widow of the famous General. With Queen Mary’s approval, she launched an appeal to Englishwomen which resulted in the prompt receipt of no fewer than 1.800 parcels of priceless lace, valued at many thousands of pounds. All the gifts were repaired where necessary in the Royal School of Needlework under Lady Smith-Dor-rien’s supervision, some to be sold as they were, some in the form of tablecloths, table mats and bedspreads.