An Antique Hooked Rug - Art From Poverty

The capacity of man to invent and create even in times of distress is truly amazing, in fact, this is how the antique hooked rug was born; from the hands of women who wanted to discover beauty and made extraordinary carpets out of ordinary rags. In those times they were used primarily to decorate humble homes of numerous families with hard-working parents and lots of children. Today they can be found even in the most select houses, as they represent the imagination, skill and craftsmanship of the grassroots American people.

The story of the antique hooked rug starts somewhere at the beginning of the 1800's, in North America, some say that it was in Maine, out of the desire of women to save money as times were rough, but at the same time to spend their little spare time doing something useful and beautiful. They started to collect strips of disused rags, sturdy yarns or whatever textile material seemed suitable for creating a carpet which could warm the winter freezing floors. The timing couldn't be better as in the middle of the century, some trade restrictions were abolished so there was a myriad of burlap sacks used to transport all kinds of merchandise like tea, corn, wheat or coffee. This burlap cloth could be easily torn into thin strips that could later be pulled through the back of a large piece of burlap, in order to make tiny loops.

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