place seems devoid of equipment and tliat the view out 

 the window reflected in the overmantel mirror is of 

 leafy foliage suggest that it is summer when, para- 

 doxically, a hearthrug would serve little purpose. 

 It is of course possible that the striped carpet is not 

 a hearthrug but rather a carpet reserved for use 

 under the table as were some of the previously men- 

 tioned floorcloths. Or, if it is a hearthrug, as seems 

 a likely explanation based on its size, shape, and place- 

 ment adjacent to the fireplace, the striped carpet may 

 have remained in place both summer and winter. 



According to pictorial materials dating from the 

 early 19th century, hearthrugs seem generally to 

 have been of rectangular shape. Their length was 

 usually a bit more than that of the mantel or outer 

 frame of the fireplace while the width was one-third 

 or more but probably less than one-half the length 

 of the rug. The hearthrug mentioned in connection 

 with the Moore carpet of needlework would seem to 

 confirm this, for it was stated to be six by two feet. 



The use of hearthrugs in 18th-century American 

 houses must for the time being, however, remain as 

 problematical as the use of needlework carpets on 

 this side of the Atlantic. 



Maintenance and Upkeep 



Maintenance and upkeep, of course, were factors 

 to be considered by 18th-century carpet owners. 

 Help in this matter could be obtained by consulting 

 one of the housekeeping manuals of the day. The 

 Toilet of Flora, published in London in 1775, gave the 

 following instructions for cleaning Turkey carpets. 



To revive the colour of a Turkey Carpet, beat it well 

 with a stick, till the dust is all got out, then with Lemon 

 Juice or Sorrel Juice take out the spots of ink, if the 

 carpet is stained with any, wash it in cold Water, and 

 afterwards shake out all the Water from the threads of 

 the carpet, and when it is thoroughly dry, rub it all over 

 with the Crumb of an hot White Loaf, and if the weather 

 is very fine, hang it out in the open air a night or two. 



Clearly carpet cleaning was an arduous chore. 

 Fortunately, help also was available froni another 

 source. Professional cleaners such as "Baker and 

 Yearsley, Silk Dyers and Scowerers from London," 

 who advertised in the New-York Gazette and the Weekly 

 Mercury on December 23, 1771, offered to "clean 

 Turkey and wilton carpets, and make the colour quite 

 fresh." 



Carpets obviously were subject to wear and tear 

 from being walked upon. LInnecessary abuse, how- 



ever, could be alleviated, at least from one somce, 

 as indicated by the following advertisement that 

 appeared in the New York Mercantile Advertiser on 

 December 7, 1 799 : 



William Carver, Horse Farrier and Shoeing Smith . . . 

 makes patent springs for parlour doors which will cause 

 the doors to clear, the carpets, and when shut prevent air 

 drawing under the door into the room ... it is presumed 

 no gentlemen will be without them that have valuable 

 carpets on the floors, as they are far preferable to any 

 thing offered of the kind in this country. They are not 

 to be perceived when fixed to the doors. He will wait 

 on the gentlemen to shew the springs if required. 



Carpet care required womanly understanding, too. 

 The feminine view is best expressed by Abigail 

 Adams. No doubt Americans fortvmate enough 

 to have floor coverings in their houses felt concern 

 similar to that expressed by Mrs. Adams in reference 

 to the carpets in her home in Quincy. On October 3 1 , 

 1797, while en route to join the President in Phila- 

 delphia, she wrote to her sister: "I will thank you to 

 go to our House and see that particular attention 

 is paid the Carpets. I fear they will suffer."'-* That 

 the task was undertaken and the carpets as well 

 as other domestic affairs were being looked after is 

 evident from another letter of the same year ad- 

 dressed to her sister and dated December 26, Phila- 

 delphia, in which Mrs. Adams wrote: "I thank you 

 for the care of my Bacon & carpets. I had much 

 rather they should be down on your floor than not." '^' 

 It is interesting to note that Mrs. Adams did not choose 

 to store the carpets. Perhaps she felt that they would 

 suffer as much from disuse as use, or perhaps she 

 wanted to share with her sister the nicety of having 

 a carpet underfoot. 



Selection of Floor Coverings 



When selecting floor coverings, the decor of the room 

 in which the carpet was to be used as well as the size 

 of the carpet and its quality and color were all matters 

 of concern to the 18th-century shopper. George 

 Washington was no exception. As a consumer, he, 

 too, considered details of this sort in the selection of 

 underfoot furnishings. Writing from Philadelphia 



'-' Letter from Mrs. .Abigail Adams, East Chester, N.Y., to 

 Mrs. Mary Cranch, Braiatree, Mass., Oct. 31, 1797. In 

 New Letters of Abigail Adams, op. cit. (footnote 51 ), p. 1 10. 



'■-' Letter from Mrs. Abigail Adams, Philadelphia, to Mrs. 

 Mary Cranch, Braintree, Mass., Dec. 26, 1797. Ibid., p. 119. 



54 



BULLETIN 250 : CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



