Rugs and carpets have a rich history, only part of which is known. Ancient rugs are very rare because the earliest rugs were made of organic fibers. Weaving began with rough, simple mats and baskets made of grasses, reeds, leaves, and other natural materials. With tough, flexible backing and generally soft material (called ‘pile’), these rugs served to keep the home more warm and insulated.
Silk development in China, the ornate, intricate embroidery and designs of Turkey and Mongolia, and the development of more sophisticated looms and weaving techniques throughout the world lifted rug-making from necessity to art form.
Italian merchants first brought oriental rugs to Europe, where they were used as wall hangings and coverings. By 1600, France had developed a dominant weaver’s guild, and England wasn’t far behind. The 1700’s marked England’s emergence into the weaving industry, and by about 1830, a good portion of the wool produced in England was used for carpets.
The first steam-powered loom appeared in 1787, and by 1876, the invention of the Axminster loom, a machine that permitted unlimited use of color and design, boosted the production of carpets. The advent of synthetic fibers and tufted carpet (carpet manufactured by the insertion of tufts of yarn through a carpet-backing fabric) made mass production and purchase of carpets easier, faster, and less expensive.
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