Twentieth-century Nottingham lace specimen book with samples extending into the 1960s

A generous twentieth-century sample book representing several decades of the Nottingham lace trade. Assembled in a purpose-made binder, 17 x 9.5 x 4.5 inches, ideal for adding, removing, and generally rearranging pages. 157 total samples, mostly half-page size (~8 x 6 inches). The tallest sample unfolds to 28” and several others extend between leaves up to 14 inches wide. Each specimen has a small label with manuscript number. Several numerical series are represented in the binder, likely referring to different mills. 12 of the samples have an “Alan Litman, Ltd.” sticker, a wholesaling firm founded in 1946 and one of the few businesses to weather the Nottingham lace industry’s terminal decline throughout the twentieth century.  The samples are compiled in a Priestley & Swann “Patent Self Binder” that allows for contents to be regularly updated and changed out to reflect stock. Based on advertising and newspaper presence, Priestley & Swann appears to have been the most active ca