Worn hands

Centuries of tradition in producing Vila do Conde bobbin lace has led to it having a symbolic meaning. However, as the 19th century gave way to the 20th, mass production and cultural globalization came to play an overpowering role in local and traditional arts.
All the institutions dedicated to protecting and promoting bobbin lace in Vila do Conde combined to help keep the lace tradition alive. However, the spread of industry and the demand for high profits in the late 20th century led eventually to the end of what for centuries had been the lacemakers’ working environment.
It was common to see lacemakers working collectively in the doorways of their homes, each facing the street and giving colour to the streets of Vila do Conde. Nowadays, these streets are just for passing through and some of the women who worked here are now employed in factories. Lace is, therefore, mostly made to order by lacemakers with worn hands, who can still remember seeing their mothers and grandmothers working in the doorway.