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Hooked rugs began as a home craft in the mid-19th century when thrift housewives realized that the burlap packing for grain, feed, and cotton made an excellent backing for rugs. Involving the relatively simple technique of pulling small loops of fabric strips through the burlap backing with a metal hook, designing rugs could still be complicated. The first rugs had designs drawn with charcoal directly on the burlap. After 1868, however, Edward Sands Frost of Biddeford, Maine, began stenciling colored designs on burlap and offering his patterns for sale. Frost's innovation helped popularize the craft and by the end of the century it had spread throughout the country. While some women continued to draw their own designs, the widespread popularity of hooked rugs was largely due to the availability of pre-stenciled patterns. Coe Manufacturing Co., one of the largest manufacturers of rug patterns, made this around the turn of the century just as the popularity of handmade rugs was giving way to inexpensive machine made rugs. A popular craft at the time, these rugs commonly depicted animals, pets, or rural scenes. This pattern features a cat in the center with a scroll-work border.

Details

  • Title: Rug
  • Creator: Coe Mfg. Co.
  • Date Created: ca. 1900
  • Location: USA
  • Subject Keywords: cat
  • Type: Hobbies and Crafts
  • Medium: burlap, stencilled
  • Object ID: 90.911

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