This image was scanned from my private collection
NO TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title: Frivolitäten-Arbeit
Author/Designer: Brigitta Hochfelden
Format/Publication Date: TPB:1898
Publisher: Franz Ebhardt & Co., Berlin, Germany
Language: German
Page Count: 24
Book Dimensions(ht. x w.): 10 1/4" x 7 7/8"
ISBN: None
SUMMARY- There was a renaissance of tatting in Germany parallel to the one happening in the USA. This book is well at the forefront of that renaissance. It has sophisticated patterns, using mock rings, onion rings, padded stitches, crocheted petal flowers to imitate Irish crochet imbedded in tatted motifs, graduated rings to give an edging a sense of motion, and even "Celtic" style interweaving of rings. She particularly enjoyed using a much thicker thread for her core, to produce depths to her motifs and giving an overall richer effect. The only place where I noticed her really playing with color was her butterfly and dragonfly. She used a much darker chain thread to add color to the wings. The script the book is printed in is rather ornate, though not the worst I've seen, so translating it would be a bit of a headache. But there is plenty of eye candy and of course scholars will have an interest in the wealth of techniques she employed to please the crafters of the time's wish for new and better patterns.
She was born August 16, 1843 and was the editor of many books on fashion and handwork during her lifetime.
This original edition was a gift to the Bibliography Project from Becky Clark, who's been an amazing help in proofreading the webpages and in filling out the foreign entries on the main page. She is a fellow bibliographer, who has made the searchable database at www.craftree.com the mighty bastion of knowledge that it is. If you don't know about Craftree, get thee hence, and sign up immediately. Once you've realized you've just lost six hours looking around there, thank them for putting together such a wonderful resource!