Page 375 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

368 History and Science of Knots

The Eighteenth Century

The latter half of the C17th brought the Age of Reason. Minds developed
rational habits, losing some of the superstitious clutter. Similarly, houses were
more spacious and light. Clothing also changed as people grew aware of the
causes of plague, becoming lighter and more frequently cleaned.
King Carlos II of Spain died, willing his Empire to the second grandson of
Louis XIV on the Pope's advice; the accession of Philippe Duc d'Anjou to the
Spanish throne sparked off the Wars of Spanish Succession (and set the style
in wigs and scarves.) In Britain, the dynasty changed with the death of Queen
Anne in 1714. George I could not speak English sufficiently well to deal with
matters of state, and so the power transferred to the Prime Minister, changing
the internal balance of power. The fashions at the Court of St James devel-
oped a `German' flavour, while those further north- supporting the Stuart
Pretenders-remained obstinately out-moded in their style of dress. The lace
cravats and cuffs, however, concealed more than mere romantic declarations
of loyalty; the bunch of blue ribbons tying a jabot (or a cluster of curls in the
case of a lady), were a form of livery. (This was the point at which finger bowls
were introduced at banquets by the Jacobites, so that when the loyal toast was
called they could drink `To the King over the water' while ostensibly demon-
strating their fealty to the House of Hanover.) In mid-century, Frederick the
Great began to forge a united country out of the many little German states,
France and Britain wrangled over Indian and Canadian territories, and France
starved while her monies were thrown at the campaigns. Catherine the Great
expanded the Russian Empire, encouraging her subjects to adopt `German' (in
reality, French), fashions at court, while sumptuary laws kept the peasantry
in traditional dress. In the last quarter of the century, the American War of
Independence broke out.
At this time it is difficult to imagine anyone having the settled conditions
necessary for the painstaking work of needlepoint, particularly as so many of
the lacemakers had fled from France with the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
The heavy needle-laces fell out of favour, and collecting porcelain took its place.
(Tea, or `bohea' is mentioned in Pope's `The Rape of the Lock', but despite
all the details of dressing-table paraphernalia, lace is not mentioned once!)
Lace fans, however, remained in fashion as can be seen from Addison's articles
in `The Tatler'. Silks and cotton threads became more readily available, and
the spinning wheel became part of the domestic furniture. In 1733 the flying
shuttle was invented so speeding the weaver's work; now it was possible for one
webster to use the yarn of six spinsters, each working at a wheel. Consequently
fabrics fell in price, homespuns became finer, and there was more cutting
involved in dress-making; where previously fabric had been folded, tucked, or
gathered so as to make maximum use of it in another garment, shaped panels