Fine and Fashionable: Lace from the Blackborne Collection

Fine & Fashionable featured one of the world's largest collections of lace that was put together in the 19th century by the father and son, Anthony and Arthur Blackborne, master lace dealers. Trading from premises in South Audley Street, London, they sold to the fine and fashionable around the world.

This celebration of lace showed more than 200 pieces from The Blackborne Collection, many never before on public view. The Collection has been generously given to the Museum by descendants of the Blackborne Family.

Presented with work by Vivienne Westwood and by British artist Catherine Bertola, the lace was shown with Fine & Decorative Arts from The Bowes Museum and from the V&A. A new generation of design was represented by Northumbria University Fashion Marketing Students, University of Sunderland Glass Department and Cleveland College of Art and Design.

Fine & Fashionable was accompanied by a full-colour, 88-page guide to The Blackborne Collection - available for purchase at The Bowes Museum and at the online shop here>. This publication has been made possible from support from the Friends of The Bowes Museum and the Pasold Research Fund.

Part of Newcastle Gateshead's world-class programme of festivals and events.