TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY REFINEMENT
SCHOLARSHIP
Oriental carpets maintained their popularity across the turn of the 20th century. At that time, scholarship on rugs became more refined and appreciation of the artistry of carpet-making grew.
One consequence of developing connoisseurship was that older labels for carpets, associated with generalized points of origin, were replaced with names that corresponded more closely to the carpets' tribal pedigrees. Rugs indiscriminately sold earlier as 'Dagastan,' for instance, now were marketed under such names as 'Kabistan,' 'Shirvan,' 'Chichi,' and 'Derbend.'
The 1901-02 Eaton's catalogue mirrored the academic trend. Rather than listing Oriental carpets generically, such as 'Mecca' or 'Smyrna,' it used more refined names that still are in common parlance, such as 'Oushak,' 'Boukhara,' and 'Kazak.'
(Eaton's Catalogue 47, Fall/Winter, 1901-02.)
HOUSEHOLD CLEANLINESS
Consumers prized rugs from the Orient for their beauty in terms of colour and design, considered them to be more durable than other carpets, and thought they would retain their value better than domestic rugs. Another important reason why consumers chose Oriental carpets around 1900 was their association with cleanliness. New concerns over household sanitation and health motivated many homeowners to pull up their wall-to-wall carpeting and either varnish their floorboards or install hardwood. These dark glossy surfaces proved to be ideal settings for Oriental carpets, which could be dusted easily or sent out for cleaning.
These interior photographs appeared in a 9 January 1915 Saturday Night article that featured the Austin family home. The gleaming hardwood floors had been installed eight years earlier. A large selection of the family's small Oriental rugs are scattered among the bearskin mats.
Blue Room.
Front Hall.
Drawing Room.
The Consumers Gas Company took these photographs of other Toronto interiors in the 1920s and 1930s. Note the large Oriental rug in the living and dining rooms.
(City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1034, Items 887, 889, 885, 124.)
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