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Doily, Armenian needle lace, c. 1950s
Almas Boghosian (b. 1907)
Whitinsville, Massachusetts
Cotton and polyester thread
11 5/8 x 11 5/8 x 3/4 in. framed; 9-1/2 in. diam. Unframed
Collection of the artist
Photography by Jason Dowdle
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After seven-year-old Almas Boghosian's family was killed in the Armenian genocide, she lived at an orphanage in Aleppo, Syria. There she learned to make Armenian needle lace, which was exported to America to support the orphanage. Nine years later, she went to live with her aunt and uncle in Whitinsville, Massachusetts.
A circular lace doily like this one requires 600 yards of thread. The delicate design starts at the center and gradually expands. Almas, who turned 100 in 2007, continues to make delicate lace collars, doilies, and handkerchiefs without patterns. She passed away in 2012 at the age of 105.
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