The nineteenth-century businesswoman in the British Isles : work culture, adaptation and the lace trade

This article looks at case studies of two British female lace 'entrepreneurs', Charlotte Treadwin (1821-1890) of Devon and Florence Vere O'Brien (1854-1936) of Ireland. These women were typical of those responsible for the continuance of hand-lace trades during the age of predominance of machine-made lace. They were the reason for the endurance of female areas of manufacture when much of the work of lace making seemed to be increasingly male dominated. A close look at their working methods and work culture suggests that they did not innovate as much as imitate. Their business activities were partly for profit and partly philanthropic, but always with a strong interest in maintaining traditional techniques.