Lace Unravelled

Lace is fine, luxurious, delicate and traditional. Lace is marvellous.

Behind this beauty hide stories that are not always so beautiful. The brand new museum exhibition Lace Unravelled takes you into the fascinating world of Turnhout lace production. A world of lacemakers, designers, stitchers, welders, office owners, lace dealers... and (rich) customers. A craft that - from Turnhout - acquired international fame and was passed on for generations.

Follow in the footsteps of Josephina Marsboom, a young lacemaker who, like hundreds of other girls, spent long days hunched over her lace cushion in a lace school at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1911, around five thousand lacemakers worked in the Turnhout region, mostly from home and poorly paid.
How did the lace bosses determine which pieces were of the highest quality? Is there such a thing as Turnhout lace? Why were snuff, alum and gin also standard supplies for the lacemakers, in addition to pins and thread?

From a dazzling dress to lace as a symbol of social resistance: this brand new permanent exhibition sheds light on both lace production and the social history behind it. Admire unique historical pieces from the Taxandria Museum's excellent collection and be inspired by the craftsmanship of the past and the present.

'Lace Unravelled' is the result of extensive scientific research in which both experts and experienced lacemakers participated.