The cordonnet of Alencon is the only one which has horsehair for its foundation. A strand of hair is carefully stitched down to the edges and is buttonholed over with the finest thread, and is said, although giving the lace quite a character of its own, to have been the cause of much of its destruction, as, in washing, the hair contracts and curls. It will be noticed also that the ground is worked in strips, _shortways of the lace of less than an inch in length_, afterwards being stitched together in what is known as "fine joining." So elaborate was the original Point d'Alencon that no less than eighteen workers were engaged on one single piece. Later the number was reduced to twelve, when the patterns became less ornate. Although the factory of Alencon existed well into the early nineteenth century, the style of lace gradually deteriorated, until it is now non-existent! The lace made during the long reign of Louis XIV. is considered by far the finest and best, showing both grandeur of style and pattern and exquisite workmanship. Under Louis XV. the lace was equally well made, but the patterns followed the Rococo designs which were now introduced into all other decorative work, while in the reign of the ill-fated Louis XVI. it went completely out of fashion, Marie Antoinette affecting a much simpler style of lace. The Revolution finally caused the complete overthrow of Alencon lace, as of all fine art work in France. An attempt was made by Napoleon I. to revive it, but its glories had passed, and the hands of the workers had lost their cunning, the result being known as the worst type of lace, stiff and ugly in design and coarse of execution. "_Point d'Argentan._" This lace is practically the same as Alencon with a variation of ground, which, to the uninitiated, appears coarse. A magnifying glass, however, will speedily dispel this illusion. The ground in itself is a marvellous piece of work, each of the sides of the mesh being covered with ten buttonhole stitches. Very frequently a mixed lace of Alencon and Argentan is found, the result being very fine. [Illustration: "POINT DE FRANCE." (_Author's Collection._)] [Illustration: POINT D'ARGENTELLA.] _Point d'Argentella._ About this lace most authorities dispute, some stoutly advocating its claims to be French lace entirely and others averring that it was made _in imitation_ of the Point d'Alencon by the Genoese. Be this as it may, the lace known as Point d'Argentella is exceptionally fine even amongst other fine laces, and is noted most specially for the fine "jours" which form an essential part of the pattern, every effort apparently being made to give extra scope for their employment. The specimen illustrated shows some of these "jours" having the characteristic mayflower, lozenge, and dotted patterns.