Businessmen
Henri Brocard (Genrich Brokar; 1836-1900) was a Russian-French businessman and philanthropist, who in the late nineteenth century set up the Moscow firm of perfume and soap production, Brokar and Co. In order to attract customers, especially for his soaps, he included a free chart of a cross-stitch design with his products.
Bella Phelps (1820-1893) was the daughter of the wine shipper, Joseph Phelps and his wife, Elizabeth Phelps. They lived on the island of Madeira and Joseph Phelps co-owned a firm (since 1804 called Phelps, Page & Co) that had established a wine trade network between Britain and Madeira.
Iida Shinshichi III (1852-1909) was the director of the Takashimaya department store. He is credited with the promotion and export of Japanese embroidery, especially Kyoto embroidery, onto the world market.
The embroiderer Rishichi Tanaka from Kyoto, Japan, initiated embroidery trading and thereby stimulated and promoted the art of embroidery.
Jane Washbourne, née Bidley, from the village of Beer, Devonshire, was an independent lace dealer who was appointed "Honiton Brussels Point Lace Manufacturer" to Queen Victoria, on 14th August 1837. She organised the production of the lace for Queen Victoria's wedding dress (which she attended, on 10th February 1840) between May and November 1839, for which work some two hundred workers in Beer were employed.