The Strong Family 

 by Charles Philips, 1732 

 {Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of Robert Lehman, ig-f^.) 



Figure 4. — A very large carpet, thickly fringed at either end, adds to the atmosphere of comfort and sociability 

 that surrounds this English family, captured by the artist in the midst of their card games and tea 

 preparations. 



although they may have been used to cover furniture 

 rather than the floor at that early date. The Turkey 

 carpets described as "large"' in the previously cited 

 inventories presumably had similar dimensions, that 

 is, under 12 feet. 



The pictures of the period provide further proof 

 that the proportions of Oriental carpets were ample. 

 "Large" or "\ery large" carpets of the size and type 

 seen in the Lee portrait appear in a number of the 

 English group or conversation-piece pictures of the 



period (see the Chronological List of Pictures, p. 61). 

 These paintings also give us a good idea of the cus- 

 tomary use and placement of Turkey as well as other 

 kinds of carpets in domestic settings. The carpet is 

 usually shown in the center of the room surrounded 

 by a border of polished wood flooring. The furniture 

 is set against tlie walls and only the pieces in use, 

 such as chairs and a tea or card table, are placed 

 on the carpet, usually well toward if not actually at 

 its center or in line with the fireplace. 



PAPER 59: FLOOR COVERINGS IN 18TH-CENTURY AMERICA 



