HOUSE AND GARDEN 
November, 1912 
] 
fixture to gather vast quantities of dust, etc., which is contrary 
to the modern principles of hygiene; while the movable rug, how¬ 
ever large, can be taken up and cleansed with comparative sim¬ 
plicity. Second, the artistic appeal and romantic interest attach¬ 
ing to the rug give it a higher place than the carpet in the esteem 
of connoisseurs. Nor is there any 
difficulty in securing rugs perfect¬ 
ly suited to the color tones of the 
apartments they are to occupy, and 
even to the mural and other deco¬ 
rations. In fact the soft vegetable 
dyes of the better class of rugs to¬ 
gether with the unique and inter¬ 
esting designs make them as rare 
treasures as the carved ivory or 
the peach blow vase. 
Out of the mass of rugs which 
crowd upon our attention at this 
time, it is necessary to restrict our 
little studies to one or two Orien¬ 
tal types owing to limitations of 
space. We may pause here to say 
that while Oriental rugs and car¬ 
pets are the ultimate desire, it is 
possible in the interim that may 
come before one feels justified in 
paying the price, to get some do¬ 
mestic rugs such as Wilton’s that 
prove satisfactory. The two toned 
rugs woven in a single piece are 
suggested. They are unobtrusive 
and harmonize with modern deco¬ 
rative schemes, a thing which unfortunately all others do not. 
Among the imported rugs we hope to point out the radical 
changes that are entering the rug trade, the sizes preferred by 
Orientals, the modern 
sizes, their availability in 
furnishing, their advan¬ 
tageous purchase, their 
treatment and use. For 
the present our atten¬ 
tion will be confined 
chiefly to the beautiful 
Persian examples. We 
select the Persian rug 
for emphasis because ex¬ 
perts concede that for 
beauty and actual value 
the Persian rug is really 
superior to the other 
Oriental rugs with 
which the market is 
more or less flooded. If 
it is a Persian rug it is 
worth while. 
It is well to under¬ 
stand at the outset, there 
are practically no an¬ 
tiques to be had unless 
at fabulous prices, but 
later genuine products 
lack nothing of intrinsic 
character and effective¬ 
ness.. A rnodefn.9 S. 12 
foot ysrgjan nj£ ©Ugbod quality and in perfect condition sold re- 
qefitly^S'low as '$95.09•-.'-lb Was a Sultanabad or Mahal. 
c c c c 0 ‘f recent years a greaLchange has come over the Oriental rusr 
business. Formerly rug buyers would travel far and wide in 
search of the artistic. M any hardships were suffered, many priva¬ 
tions endured. Village after village would be visited and a house 
to house canvass made for rugs suited to the importers’ trade. Per¬ 
haps after seeing all the rugs in an entire hamlet, only three or 
four would be found available. 
Each section of country had its 
characteristic design. Even par¬ 
ticular families had their own pat¬ 
terns handed down—not from 
father to son—but from mother 
to daughter. It is the women 
who are the rug weavers. Fre¬ 
quently individualities would 
creep into designs; symbols of 
sorrow, joy or love. Then, too, 
there would be special rugs, un¬ 
classified as they are termed. 
These were woven at the caprice 
of the worker, perhaps to vary the 
monotony of one’s life work or to 
represent some epoch in an indi¬ 
vidual career, such as the dowry 
rug. No wonder there were mys¬ 
tery and romance and history, in 
each rug. It need not be a genu¬ 
ine antique to embody these quali¬ 
ties. Rugs in general have had a 
The long rug used in this hallway was reproduced from designs 
of an original. Even when made to order, rugs of this sort 
are cheaper than antiques 
Sejade or hearth rug is about 4 ft. x 7 ft. 
Rugs about this size, not otherwise classi¬ 
fied, are called Mosouls 
touch of sentiment or mystery, a|l 
of which was taken into con¬ 
sideration when buying the house¬ 
hold supply. There was poetry as 
well as prose in the purchase of them. 
These considerations, however, are gradually being eliminated. 
The time is not far distant when they will be embodied only 
when buying old rugs. 
The new are being made 
under decidedly differ¬ 
ent conditions. 
This change in manu¬ 
facture is of moment as 
it bears directly upon the 
less expensive r u g s- 
Large corporations, 
mostly comprised of 
Englishmen, are making 
rugs in a wholesale way. 
That is they gather to¬ 
gether numbers of rug 
makers, give them looms 
and regular pay. This 
latter, by the way, means 
a great deal to the im¬ 
poverished workers. De¬ 
signs and materials are 
furnished them. The 
former may be taken 
from handsome antiques 
or they may be perfect 
examples of types of 
rugs, or the design may 
be sent from America., 
England, or Europe. 
There is a distinct fancy 
now to have rugs made to order to suit particular decorations or 
furnishings in the homes. All this is very practical, if it is prosaic. 
The made-to-order rug is naturally a costly product, but the other 
■Hi 
A Teraghan Kellei. The first name 
indicates the design, the second 
tells the size and position 
