MLLE. ELEANORE RIEGO DE LA BRANCHARDIERE
Born in England in 1828 to an Irish mother and a French father, we know remarkably little about her for someone who was so lauded in knitting, crochet, and tatting circles. Mlle Riego published 16 books in all on the subject of tatting, and 72 overall. Four of these were compilations from other sources - she was a well celebrated designer for such prestigious ladies' publications as "The Queen". She had contemporaries, but no one as prolific or well known to us. She's considered to be responsible for the popularization of modern tatting in 1851 with her exhibition at the first World Fair in London. The Crystal Palace was a huge sensation - sadly lost to a fire in 1936. It was her child's dress in crochet that won a medal - and went on to win medals at other fairs.
The Crystal Palace was a marvel on its own - a building made entirely of steel girders and glass that allowed natural lighting in throughout. The exhibit captured the public's attention, with over six million people passing through it over a six month period. Mdlle. Riego's exquisite crochet and tatting display was among the many marvels that were shown, and caused a renaissance for those needlearts. Mdlle Riego was able to build a career on that renaissance that included a total of 72 different books - the first published in 1846 when she was 18 years old. This public display and her innovation of the join between rings by threading the working thread through a picot using a wire shuttle like a needle, without having to tediously hand sew the rings together with needle and thread, is credited with having brought tatting back to popularity. She quickly adopted Mrs. Mee's innovation of what we consider the modern join in 1867, and even took credit for it on several occasions. Mdlle Riego's books are considered the first published of modern tatting.
You can find free .pdf downloads of her books at: http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/html/warm/main.htm. In fact, you can find a great many antique books on this fantastic service free to the public. If you use the site, try to show your appreciation and make a donation. They have 501c(3) status, but really struggle year to year to keep the doors open. If you're as outraged as I am that the Library of Congress and other official entities really don't give a hill of beans(I cleaned up my language just for you!) about the history of textile arts, this is one of the few places where research and education on the subject is possible. Please help support them if you are able. If you can do nothing else, spread the word about this important site to all your friends with a love for any thread art.
And another source for free .pdf downloads of Mdlle Riego's books: http://handweaving.net/document-search/author/1637/branchardiere-mml-riego-de-la
Pix
Bibliography Entries
The Winter Book, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1848)
Notes: 55 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
...
Tatting (The Tatting Book), by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1850,2001reprint,2012reprint)
Notes: 36 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
lovely reprint by Iva Rose Vintage Reproductions, New Bedford, MA is still available...
The Greek & Roman Lace Book, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1859)
Notes: 30 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
brought to my attention by my friend, the spectacular Becky Clark...
Etoile Doree in Tatting(Golden Stars in Tatting and Crochet), by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1861,2001reprint)
Notes: 23 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
Tatting, Edgings and Insertions, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1861,2001reprint)
Notes: 17 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
The Exhibition Tatting Book, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1862,2001reprint)
Notes: 36 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
The Royal Tatting Book, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1864,1867reprint,2001reprint)
Notes: 32 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
I have an original edition of this booklet
The Complete Tatting Book, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1866,2001reprint)
Notes: 33 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simpkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
The Lace Tatting Book, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1866,2001reprint)
Notes: 32 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
Simple Book of Tatting, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1867,2001reprint)
Notes: 14? pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
The Pearl Tatting Book, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1867,2001reprint)
Notes: 31 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
The Abergeldie Winter Book, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1867)
Notes: 31 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
A PDF of this book can be found at: The University of South Hampton
The Raised Tatting Book, by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1868,2001reprint)
Notes: 32 pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
The Irish Lace Instructor(Tatting Chapter Only), by Mdlle Riego de la Branchardiere (TPB:1886)
Notes: ?? pages; Country: UK; Publisher: Simkin, Marshall, and Co., London; ISBN: None;
I have a photocopied excerpt of the tatting chapter, but not the whole book...
