Virtually all lace today is made on machines. Handmade lace, so dear to old ladies, is an insignificant item in world trade, and most of it is made not in Europe but in China. France and England are ...

During the period 1820 to 1860 the hand-operated lace frames were gradually replaced by steam-driven, factory-based machines. Hours were regulated by the steam boiler; power and heat were usually ...