A very considerable number of caps and
head-dresses worked in this way are still
existing. The caps are almost invariably of
rounded form, with turned-up edges trimmed
with gold lace. There are several in the
museum at South Kensington, including one
from the collection of Lord Zouche, and two
from that of Sir Thomas Isham of Lamport
Hall. The two latter (Plate 40) may belong
to the early part of Elizabeth's reign. The
ladies' head-dresses are commonly of a
hooded shape, drawn together by a string
at the back (Plate 40). The embroidery is
sometimes in black alone, but oftener the
stems are of plaited gold thread. It seems
probable that these caps did not go entirely
out of fashion until the reign of Charles I.
Black was not always the colour chosen. A
cap of the same form, with a pattern of roses,
pansies, and strawberries in colours, the stems
in gold, is in the museum (No. 2016, 1899).
Several private collections contain ex-
amples of black work of an earlier period,
that of Henry VIII. Such work is also
illustrated in portraits of his reign.
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