Gertrude Whiting
Gertrude Whiting | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1882 New York City, New York, United States |
| Died | 1951 New York City, New York, United States |
| Alma mater | Hollins University |
| Organization(s) | Needle and Bobbin Club |
| Known for | Lace-making |
Gertrude Whiting (1882–1951) was the founder of the Needle and Bobbin Club in New York City. Whiting was an expert in lace making and taught the art to women in rural India. She was a fellow of the British Royal Society of Arts, and named a Master Craftsman by The Society of Arts and Crafts of Boston.[1]
Life
Whiting was born in 1882 in New York City.[2] She was introduced to lace by her aunt at a young age.[3] She attended the Rye Seminary and graduated from Hollins University.[2] She studied needlework in Switzerland, England, and Nova Scotia.[2] In 1951, Whiting died in New York City at the age of 69.[2]
Career
After returning to the United States, Whiting found lace was not as popular in the country compared to Europe.[3] Through her connection with Frances Morris, the assistant curator of lace at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she connected lace enthusiasts together through the newly formed Needle and Bobbin Club in 1916.[3] The club amassed 200 members within its first year.[3]
As a lacemaker, Whiting compiled an early catalog of the various stitches used in typical bobbin lace patterns, which also displayed various regional styles of lace bobbins.[4] Her original sampler can be found in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and reproductions of the sampler were included in a pocket of the guide book she published.[5]
Whiting was invited by an examiner from the Indian Department of Education and Industry to advise in the country's economic development of lace making.[6] She re-introduced lace making to women in rural India.[2] The Whiting India Guilds continued to exist until 1965.[1] In 1940, Whiting was honored for her work by becoming a fellow of the British Royal Society of Arts.[2]
Gallery
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Original cover of Gertrude Whiting's Lace Guide book
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The original cover of Tools and Toys of Stitchery by Gertrude Whiting
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Whiting's book pocket with the fold-out large linen photographic reproduction of her lace sampler
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Photo from Whiting's A lace guide for makers and collectors (1920)
Publications
Whiting published books about making lace to teach the craft.[7]
- Whiting, Gertrude (1971-11-30). Old-Time Tools & Toys of Needlework. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0486225173.
- Whiting, Gertrude (1928). Tools and Toys of Stitchery. Columbia University Press.
- Whiting, Gertrude (1920). A Lace Guide For Makers And Collectors. New York: E. P. Dutton.
References
- ^ a b Epstein, Kathy (December 1988). "Gertrude Whiting: A Woman's Work". Needle Arts. XIX (4): 13–16.
- ^ a b c d e f "GERTRUDE WHITING, AUTHORITY ON LACE". The New York Times. 1951-04-16. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ a b c d "Gertrude Whiting's Bobbin-Lace Sampler and the Connoisseurship of Lace - The Metropolitan Museum of Art". www.metmuseum.org. 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ "Gertrude Whiting - Sampler of bobbin lace - American, New York - The Metropolitan Museum of Art". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
- ^ Whiting, Gertrude (1920). A lace guide for makers and collectors; with bibliography and five-language nomenculture, profusely illus. with halftone plates and key designs. Smithsonian Libraries. New York, E.P. Dutton & company.
- ^ La Hines, Elizabeth (1940-01-28). "Miss Gertrude Whiting Made Fellow of Royal Arts Society; Honored for Services in Restoring to Women of Rural India New Interest in Lace-Making Skill". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
- ^ "Gertrude Whiting". Hollins University. Retrieved 2025-12-10.