A general essay from the Atlantic Monthly on the lives and work of women in medieval Europe. It covers needlework and embroidery (including the Bayeux Tapestry and royal patrons such as Anne of Brittany and Mary of Scotland), silk history, the origins of point lace and Spanish convent lace (drawing on Mrs. Palliser's history of lace), and the education of girls. It also treats women as manuscript copyists, poets and artists, such as Diemudis, Marie de France, Christine de Pisan and Sofonisba Anguissola, and describes domestic life, cradles and furnishings.