Ultra rare lace collectors item. The large centrepiece is an intricate and well balanced design of bluebell flowers and sulphur crested cockatoos - native to Australia. As bluebells are usually associated with Scotland, it is a nice connection for Australian settlers whose homeland was Scotland or the British Isles.
The original publication date of the designs are shrouded in a bit of mystery.
Research by Barbara Ballantyne concludes that the series of Bluebells and Cockatoos centrepieces shows close resemblance to a supper cloth design named "Conventional Floral and Bird Lace" - published in Weldons Practical Needlework New Series No 134, issued without a date. The doilies and the Blue Bells and Cockatoos centrepiece designs can be traced down to an unknown Los Angeles publication in the 1930s, and later to an also unknown Australian publication. It was common practice (and it is still today), not to publish the names of designers in craft magazines. However Mary Card stands out in that field due to her own very successful publications.
Measurements:
Centrepiece (x1): 90 cm/35"
Doilies (x4): 26 c/10" in diameter
Condition: very good in slightly off-white cotton thread. The large centrepiece is showing a bit of yellowing in some places though it is likely to be able to wash out. The four doilies are in excellent condition, and there is no breakage in any of the items.
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.