(Forgive the not very good photos of this one--which is also too long to capture in one photo.)
I'm finding myself these days drawn to opposite extremes---very "primitive" things at one end, and exquisitely, skillfully, laboriously crafted at the other, with this red leather folio sampler showing 79 examples of hand-embroidered " appenzeller" lace created 1850-60, a prime example of the latter. Can you imagine? I purchased this from a favorite treasure-trove of a shop in Vermont, which acquired it from the collection of a lace making museum. And for me it is very much about the thing as a whole: the red leather, the sky blue paper backing the lace, the carefully pasted patterned paper borders around each panel of samples, the small paper suns under each sample with handwritten details, and the handwritten brown paper label on last panel. And the joy of opening it to discover it goes on and on and on and on, unfolding to a length of more than six feet. A rare find and to my sensibilities quite a wonder.
77 3/4" long all the way open x 8 7/8" t. Closed 8 7/8" x 5 1/4" x 1 1/4" thick. 13 panels of lace plus panel with handwritten title text. Beautiful antique condition, reads bright and crisp, with light general wear and a little cracking to the leather here and there. Not at all fragile.
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