One of the treasures of American Folk Art is this appliqued carpet made c. 1860 by an unknown American artist. The 9'4" x 13'2" rug is unique because of its large size and pristine condition. Photo copyright John Bigelow Taylor, New York.

By Lissa Wyman

NEW YORK -- New York's American Museum of Folk Art has opened a new exhibit of rugs that dramatically illustrates that design excellence is timeless.

The Great Cover-up: American Rugs on Beds, Tables, and Floors,  runs  through Sept 9. The exhibit features approximately 65 rugs from the 18th Century to the mid-20th Century. It was developed by  Lee Kogan, curator, and coordinated by Stacy C. Hollander, senior curator and director of exhibitions.

Two large rugs in the exhibit have been designated treasures of American Folk Art.

The Caswell Carpet is chain stitch embroidered on wool. It was made in 1832-1835 and measures 13' x 12'3." Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Caswell Carpet, now owned by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art,  was made in 1832-1835 by Zeruah Higley Gurnsey Caswell. A few of the panels were crafted by foreign students living in the Gurnsey household. The richly detailed floral panels are enlivened by charming pictorials of a wedding scene, cats and dogs. On the left border, a detachable hearth rug features a fruit basket bordered by blossoms and vines.

The Appliqued Carpet, (pictured at the top of this article) was made c.1860 by an unknown artist and features richly colored appliques and embroidery on wool.  In flawless condition, the rug is a promised gift to the American Folk Museum by Ralph Esemerian

Even in Colonial days, hand crafted rugs in American homes transcended pure utilitarianism. The making of rugs for beds, tables and floors was one of the handiwork arts that young women of the 18th and 19th Century were expected to master.

Unfortunately, many rugs were enjoyed in the home, but few were preserved as pieces of art. As a result, there are few examples of original rugs dating from early Colonial America. Most of the rugs in the exhibit date from 19th Century to the first half of the 20th Century.

"As many surviving rugs attest, the best examples of American rug making transcend function through the graphic power of their color and design," said Lee Kogan in her introduction to the exhibit.

"Originally, hand-sewn and hand-hooked rugs were enjoyed only within the confines of the home. Today, their public appreciation provides a fascinating glimpse into the private spaces of American life."

Even today, folk artists are enthusiastically designing and making rugs using the time-honored techniques of latch-hook, felting, embroidery, applique, braiding, hand-tufting, crewel and needlepoint.

Although  both men and women now participate in the art of rug making and design, most of the rugs in the exhibition were almost certainly made by women. The social and cultural realities of their  times dictated that  needle arts would be one of the few outlets of artistic and intellectual expression open to women.

Knitted Rug is attributed to Elvira Hulett, a member of the Hancock Shaker Community in Western Massachusetts. This technical tour de force dates from 1805-1809. Wool, 50" diameter. From the collection of Ralph Esmerian, promised gift to the American Folk Art Museum.

Bed rug, made in Littleton, NH in 1803, is attributed to Deborah Leland Fairbanks and other family members. Wool, 101" x 96" Photo courtesy of the American Folk Art Museum.

Packard bed rug made 1806 by a Packard family member. Wool. 94" x 90 1/2" American Folk Art Museum. Photo courtesy of American Hurrah Archives, New York.
 

The Tiger hooked rug, c. 1820, artist unknown. Yarn sewn on linen. The Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT. Photo courtesy of The American Museum of Folk Art

Pictorial Table Rug made in Maine c.1840 by an unknown artist. Wool applique, gauze and embroidery on wool. American Folk Art Museum, promised gift of Ralph Esmerian. Photo by Stephen Donelian

Praying to the Moon by an unidentified artist,
c.1910-1920. Photo courtesy of The American Museum of Folk Art

Solitary Tree is a hooked rug by an unidentified artist c.1910-1930. The design is reminiscent of many of today's rug patterns. Photo by John Parnell, courtesy of The American Museum of Folk Art


 

EARLY COMMERCIAL RUG PRODUCTION

Part of the museum's  exhibit depicts the origins of commercial hand-made rug production in the US.

By the mid 1800's, hooked rugs,  considered a uniquely American art form, became the most popular construction for rug crafting.

In the 1860's, Edward Sand Frost, an entrepreneur in Biddeford, ME invented printed patterns for hooked rugs. While rugs were still made in workers' homes, the printed cartoons made it possible to achieve production consistency. One could say that the concept of "programmed rugs" was born with these printed patterns.

A printed  1884 "help wanted"  brochure in the exhibit  indicates that early rug makers had ambitious visions of broad distribution. Promising commissions of "up to $2 per day"  the brochure states, "We want a wholesale agent in every city and town in the US and Canada to sell E.S. Frost & Co.'s Turkish rug patterns."

Printed patterns also ushered in the era of "knock-offs" Soon, other manufacturers became involved in commercial rug production.

In 1886, Ebenezer Ross of Toledo Ohio invented the punch needle, which made it easier to hook rugs than the crochet hooks previously used. Ross's creative skills seemed confined to tool-making. His patterns were almost all "inspired" by the Frost library. (US Copyright law did not go into effect until the 20th Century)

In the 1880's, the most popular hooked rug in America depicted a lion and cub reclining in foliage. The original design came from E.S. Frost & Co. This version, Lion With Palms,  came from E. Ross & Co. Photo courtesy of The American Museum of Folk Art

The Grenfell Mission

The modern notion of bringing commercial rug making opportunities  to needy communities is not new, either. In 1892 Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, a British physician and missionary, established a commercial rug making industry in the Canadian maritime provinces of Labrador and Newfoundland. Mat making, as it was called, was not new in the area. Production of small rugs had traditionally occupied residents in February and March, when they  were virtually locked in by Winter weather.

Grenfell Mission rug designed by Rhoda Dawson. Of undyed silk and rayon,  it was in production from 1930 to 1935. Price of the 39" x 26" rug was listed as $5.68. From the collection of Paula Laverty. Photo courtesy of The American Museum of Folk Art
FISH ON FLAKE

Rugs and mats made at the Grenfell Mission were extremely popular and production continued until after World War II, when shortages of material curtailed mat making. The Grenfell Mission is a wide-ranging service organization which exists to this day.

One of the premier designers at Grenfell was British designer Rhoda Dawson. She faced some of the issues that still challenge present day designers. "I'm afraid the regular customers won't like the new mats," she wrote Dr. Grenfell. "They're too sophisticated."

"The Great Cover-Up: American Rugs on Beds, tables and Floors" is the first exhibit since 1974 devoted to American rug making. It is on view at the American Folk Art Museum June 5 to Sept. 9, 2007. The museum is located at 45 West 53rd St., New York, NY.
 

To see the New York Times review of this exhibition,
click here

To read a curatorial essay of this exhibition in Folk Art Magazine, click here.
 

6.10.07