Ultra rare lace collectors item. Very few of Mary's followers know about the Arabesque set of doilies, the pattern was published in the US Chart No 10.
Made with great skill of excellent quality cream coloured cotton thread. In very good condition. It was obviously treasured ever since it was made. It's the smallest doily in the set, measuring approximately 14 cm/5.5" in diameter.
Mary Card (1861-1940) was an Australian educator and lace designer who took crochet to another level. Starting a new career as an independent middle aged woman during WWI, she shot to stardom status first in Melbourne, then moved to London and later to New York where she worked for women's magazines and continued to publish her own, very successful charts and books.
Her stunning unparalelled patterns were inspired by nature, especially by the unique Australian flora and fauna. Her work has delighted and enriched the lives of women across the world when the craft of lacemaking was very popular and is still highly regarded today with collectors and lovers of antique lace. She was a very prolific designer, so much fun to be had, should you decide to start collecting her work. Mary's designs include numerous small doilies, placemats, clothing accessories, as well as over 40 large items such as tablecloths, chair covers, towel insets and bedspreads.
We do our due diligence when deciding the authenticity of the pieces we list. Some designs commonly believed to be Mary Card's work cannot be authenticated as some magazines did not credit or name their designers. For those who wish to do their own research, we recommend the excellent books of Barbara Ballantyne on the topic.