Embedded Files
16 November 2025 at 3:30 pm New York time (UTC-5)
An invitation to register for this Zoom webinar will be sent to all current IOLI Members a week before the event.
Join Karen Thompson and Katelynn Ulmer for an in-depth look into the life of Mary Eno Pinchot (1838-1914), a lace collector active during the late 1890s-early 1900s whose philanthropic influence is often overlooked. During her lifetime, Pinchot donated lace to several museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She also exhibited her collection at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. But her most influential lace donation was to the Smithsonian's National Museum in 1908 where she chaired the women's committee responsible for starting the museum's extensive collection of lace and other textile arts. Learn more about what inspired Pinchot to collect lace, her role at the Smithsonian, her connection with other lace collectors, and more, in this talk with Thompson and Ulmer.
Karen Thompson
Karen Thompson
Karen H. Thompson began her journey with bobbin lace in 1974, after her first lesson from her mother. Since then, she has dedicated her career to studying, teaching, and preserving the art of lacemaking, and has volunteered at the Smithsonian Museum of American History’s Lace Collection since the late 1990s. She has contributed significantly to the online presence of the collection with data entries and blogs about the Lace Collection. Her work aims to raise awareness about historic lace, lace identification, and lacemaking.
Katelynn Ulmer
Katelynn Ulmer
Katelynn Ulmer is an archivist and historian whose areas of interest include textile and craft history, collecting, and gender studies. She earned her BFA in Art History with a minor in Fiber Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and her MSLS with a concentration in archival studies at Pennwest Clarion University. Ulmer manages the museum collection at Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford, PA. In 2025, she curated the exhibition If Only Lace Could Speak: The Legacy of Mary Eno Pinchot (1838-1914) at Grey Towers. A lacemaker herself, Ulmer is a member of the Lost Art Lacers of North Jersey.
Image credits:
Mary Eno Pinchot, ca. 1900s. USDA Forest Service, Grey Towers NHS Archives.
Early 18th Century Lappets in Point d’Angleterre Bobbin Lace, 1720-1730, linen, 46 in. x 4 in., National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., catalog no. E277886, https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_623640
Old Greek Linen Cuff with Drawn Thread Embroidery and Bobbin Lace, linen, 5 in. x 9 in., National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., catalog no. L6894.000, https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_625858
Rose Motif for Applique Made in Point de Gaze Needle Lace, ca. 1900, cotton, 3 ¾ in. x 3 in., National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institute Washington, D.C., catalog no. L7028.00A, https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_620814
Detail of Collar with Bird Motifs Made from Late 17th Century Genoese Bobbin Lace, late 17th century, linen. 12 in. x 2 ½ in., National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., catalog no. L6502.00C, https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_623899
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