Mrs. Gardner found many pieces of lace in Venice, whose historic role as a center of lace making was revived in the 1880s with the creation of a new school that trained the unemployed wives of local fisherman in the lost craft of handmade lace. Around 1900 many American museums displayed lace in the belief that historic examples would be relevant to workers in the booming American textile industry. Today, we still marvel at the superb craftsmanship and intriguing designs of this handmade lace.