In April, I waxed poetic about the sailcloth carpets I’d
found in Dumbarton House and Carlyle House in the Washington, D.C., area. Frequent commenter QNPoohBear gave me some
hints as to where to find more information, and now I admit I’m even more
fascinated!
Floorcloths appear to have originated in France, perhaps
descending from tapestries and other wall and floor coverings. Quite popular in England and America in the
1700s and early 1800s, they were generally made of woven linen canvas, at
lengths of over 100 yards, cut down to the necessary size for a particular room.
Through an elaborate stretching and sanding process, artists painted them with heavy
paint that might include lead and then varnished them to protect the design. By
the 1800s, entire factories were devoted to the process, as seen in this print
from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The resulting cloths might be plain (Thomas Jefferson is
said to have had a green one) or they might resemble black-and-white marble
tiles, landscape backgrounds, or even fine carpet. Cubes and Greek key patterns
were also popular, as was the compass pattern shown abovefrom Carlyle House. From what I’ve been reading, it appears they were most often
used in areas where the wood floor needed to be protected, say from spills at
the dining room table or in high-traffic areas like entry halls and stairways.
My hypothesis going in to this research was that they were most likely used by
middle class families as a less expensive floor covering, but it appears that
they were used by the wealthy or famous as well, gracing such homes as the
Presidential Mansion in America.
While the popularity of floor cloths waned with the
invention of linoleum, a number of sites herald the reemergence of the art
today for durable, relatively low-cost floor coverings. I ran across a number
of sites that offered ones hand-made by artists or even advised you on how to
make your own.
I'm game. In fact, I think it might be cool to see one painted to look like a book cover. Anyone else want one?
5 comments:
Admiral Nelson's beloved ship, Victory, has a checkered canvas floorcloth in the captain's cabin. When I first walked on it, I thought it was tile. Here's a link to a picture. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/02/29/article-2108181-11F89175000005DC-555_636x395.jpg
Wonderful, Joanna! I had the same reaction when I saw my first floorcloth at Dumbarton House. I had to reach down and touch it to be certain it wasn't tile. And I love the association with sailing ships. Thanks so much for sharing!
Regina, you probably don't remember, but there's a small one in my bathroom in Chatham--I took a class and made it years ago. It was a fun crafty project, even for someone with limited drafting talent like me, but then writing kind of took over my life. :)
I didn't remember, Marissa! Good for you for making one. I'll have to look more closely next time I visit. :-)
Well, RWA IS in New York again next year...
Post a Comment