50 
House & Garden 
Thawing Brook 
Willard L. Metcalf 
It is over fifty years old, and took a year to make in the neigh¬ 
borhood of Old Salem. Of pure wool yarn, colored with hand- 
brewed vegetable dyes 
THE PURCHASE OF PAINTINGS 
BY AMERICAN ARTISTS IS 
HIGHLY PATRIOTIC 
In winning the War let us not neglect those 
things for which we are fighting the War 
Our Art Notes will be found of 
interest on this and other art top¬ 
ics. It will be mailed on request. 
WILLIAM MACBETH 
Incorporated 
450 Fifth Avenue (at Fortieth Street) Mew York 
The Popularity of the Rag Mat 
(Continued from page 27) 
shade and color we find a direct resem¬ 
blance to the French products. No 
doubt much of this is due to the fact 
that only a small amount of bright col¬ 
ored cloth was available in New Eng¬ 
land for decorative purposes. So lim¬ 
ited was the supply that “tidbits” were 
carefully saved to be used in the small 
areas. This led frequently to the com¬ 
bination of different shades and blend¬ 
ings with other colors of the same 
weight, which had to be utilized for 
economy’s sake in the composition of 
even one single flower. As an example 
of this consider the rug at the bottom 
center of page 26. It has that pro¬ 
nounced feeling which was evident dur¬ 
ing the Louis XV period. 
Before purchasing a rug make sure 
that it is worked in woolen cloths, for 
they are much more apt to hold the 
color than cotton. Then, too, they have 
the advantage of not soiling as quickly 
as cotton. 
Many owners pride themselves on the 
ownership of a shrived hooked rug, but 
do not realize that it can be used har¬ 
moniously, as can most of the older 
hooked products, with old English wood¬ 
work. These old examples have taken 
on with years a subdued tone that gives 
them unusual beauty. Restraint, which 
was one of the characteristics of the 
furniture of this period, is markedly 
brought out in many of New England’s 
hooked rugs. They are quite different 
in effect from the Oriental products, 
which generally are so bold and crude 
in design that they detract rather than 
add to a decorative scheme. 
Oriental Patterns 
Oriental patterns are often imitated 
in the pulled rug, but are rarely, if ever, 
satisfactory. The rug on the upper right- 
hand corner of page 27 is one of the 
best imitations, the predominating col¬ 
ors being blue. Rugs of this kind are 
made on a loom. In their finish they 
require great intricacy of detail, which 
the American workers are unable to pro¬ 
duce, unless they use the Oriental method 
of working. 
The greatest demand today is for 
all-over flower, animal and figure pat¬ 
terns. Among the flower patterns are 
often found the daffodil and rose mo¬ 
tif, both of which are a little difficult 
to work out if one is trying for exact 
coloring. Bright flowers need a black 
background, whereas light ones, such as 
pink or red, are better shown on gray. 
Black cats are particularly adaptable 
for hearth rugs while for nursery themes 
groups of chickens or hens are appro¬ 
priate. In their working color harmony 
must be considered—full intense colors 
being kept apart, while less brilliant ones 
are brought together. 
In the old rugs the loops were very 
symmetrical, but later rugs show irreg¬ 
ular clipping, which makes them much 
softer in texture. This helps the expert 
to determine the age of a hooked rug. 
In addition, he judges them by the fact 
that years ago the patterns were crude, 
home-designed and lacked the brilliancy 
of coloring and artistic picturing found 
later on. 
To the average eye a rug is simply a 
(Continued on page 58) 
Birds and animals furnish interesting motifs to the makers of 
old hooked rugs. They are suitable for the children’s rooms 
