Rodris Roth 



FLOOR COVERINGS 

 IN 18th-CENTURY AMERICA 



Floor coverings ivere the exception rather than the rule in the 

 18th-century house, difficult as this is to believe today. Pictures 

 and writings of the period serve as our most direct evidence of 

 their existence. The author fully illustrates in this paper the 

 various kinds of floor coverings available in the 18th century and 

 recounts the history of their use — from the Oriental or ' ' Turkey 

 carpets through Brussels, Axminster, and even sand. She 

 relates interesting accounts of their sale, maintenance, and the 

 wide variety of colors offered, as well as their selection according 

 to the decor of the rooms. All of this information is spiced ivith 

 quotes from Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and others, on the 

 same subject: floor coverings. Her study in this fleld has extended 

 over a period of many years, but the major research for this paper 

 was accomplished during 1959-1961. 



The Author: Miss Roth is associate curator of cultural 

 history in the Smithsonian Institution s Museum of History and 

 Technology . 



Introduction 



Floor coverings were the exception rather than the 

 rule in the 18th century. Americans, however, 

 who wanted and could afford to have floor coverings 

 in their houses were able to choose from a variety of 

 types. Some of the kinds available and used were 

 Oriental or "Turkey'' carpets, floorcloths, straw mats, 

 and ingrain, Wilton, Brussels, and Axminster car- 

 peting and carpets. Although few if any movable 



floor coverings with known histories of use in this 

 country during the 18th century exist today, evidence 

 of the types available, and where and how they were 

 used in domestic surroundings, survives in the writings 

 and pictures of the period. 



Carpets and rugs, of course, have an ancient history 

 long antedating the 18th century. In the Western 

 World, however, as even a cursory look at European 

 paintings reveals, they were seldom to be found under 

 any feet except those of royalty or nobility, and then 



PAPER 59: FLOOR COVERINGS IN 18TH-CENTURY AMERICA 



