Arthur Young, in 1788, says of Valenciennes: "Laces of 30 to 40 lines' breadth for gentlemen's ruffles is from 160 to 216 livres (£9 9s.) an ell. The quantity for a lady's headdress from 1,000 to 24,000 livres. The women gain from 20 to 30 sous a day. 3,600 persons are employed at Valenciennes, and are an object of 450,000 livres, of which the flax is not more than 1⁄30. The thread costs from 24 to 700 livres the pound."
The "barbes pleines" consisted of a pair of lappets from 3 to 5 inches wide each, and half an ell (20 inches) long, with a double pattern of sprigged flowers and rounded at the ends. A narrow lace 1 ½ ell long, called the Papillon, with the bande or passe, and the fond de bonnet, completed the suit.
The fault of the old Valenciennes lace is its colour, never of a clear white, but inclining to a reddish cast.
"Les dentelières avaient adopté un par-dessus de calamande rayée, un bonniquet de toile fine plissé à petits canons. Une médaille d'argent, pendue au cou par un petit liseré noir, complétait leur costume, qui est arrivé jusqu'à nous; car nous l'avons vu, il n'y a pas trente ans."—Hist. de Lille, par V. Derode. Paris et Lille, 1848.
Mémoires sur l'Intendance de Flandre.—MS. Bib. de Lille.