Magic carpets

Pure American art of Waldoboro hooked rugs

by Leon Nigrosh

ART UNDERFOOT: The Story of Waldoboro Hooked Rugs
at the American Textile History Museum, 491 Dutton Street, Lowell, through October 3.

Bouquets of bright flowers, garlands of greenery, arrangements of fresh fruit, mounds of colorful vegetables. This is not a description of a farmers market, but of the eye-catching display of more than 50 antique hooked and sculpted rugs currently on display at the American Textile History Museum in Lowell. These handmade rugs were produced during the late 1800s and early 1900s by a number of women who lived in the little seacoast town of Waldoboro, Maine. During its 19th-century heyday, Waldoboro was a shipbuilding center, home to rich sea captains and wealthy merchants whose ladies had taken to rug and quilt making as a social activity.

But it was not until 1877 that an example of what was to become known as the "Waldoboro rug" was first mentioned in a newspaper account of that year's Bristol Farmers' Festival. What distinguished these rugs then from other hand-crafted floor coverings were the sculpted surfaces and the fine-linen backing. Today, what makes these rugs so important is their quality, rarity, and their ability to have withstood the tests of time and shoe leather. Though more pragmatic owners often left them inverted, and then quickly turned them up when guests arrived, most of the rugs have been used daily.

Not intended for commercial sale, the coverings, nevertheless, were laboriously constructed. Many of the women grew flax, home spun it, and wove their own linen backings. They also sheared sheep, and then dyed the wool with vegetable dyes obtained from their gardens or from colors distilled from barks and berries. The design was penciled on the stretched linen, and long woolen strips were painstakingly picked through the backing with a handmade metal hook. At best, an individual might be able to hook two rugs a year.

Although most of the designs were original, as time passed and ideas and techniques exchanged, a certain style developed. The majority of Waldoboro rugs have a central oval, which is filled with "raised-work," bas-relief flowers most likely, placed in an asymmetrical layout surrounded by an ornate scroll decoration, all on a shaded, usually dark, background. In later years, burlap backings and even silk were used; though the finished craftsmanship might be of high quality, these carpets are referred to as Waldoboro-type rugs because they lack the essential linen backing. Both kinds of rug are included in this exhibition for their intricate designs and coloration.

Few of the rugs in this exhibit can be attributed to a particular maker. But one work, a sage green rug with a central nosegay of flowers and red scrollwork, is known to have been made around 1890 by Minnie Light, a 17-year-old girl who became an important rug designer and pattern maker for nearly 40 years. Her rugs and drawings contained imaginative sprays of local flowers with images taken from seed catalogues, all surrounded by unusual and unique border designs.

One outstanding work is a 67x30" rug that highlights a raised and sheared bouquet of red, white, and yellow flowers. The scroll border of acanthus leaves is laced with bright red fruits and flowers, culminating in two pineapple shapes at either end -- entirely framed in black. Almost 150 years old, this skillfully hooked rug is still as bright, plush, and velvety as when it was first made.

Not all of the rugs were intended to be used on the floor. A four-foot-long work ascribed to Sarah Eugley was a wedding present made around 1900 to be used only on special occasions. The design dispensed with the usual scrollwork and concentrated on the garland of flowers that imitates a bridal headpiece. Eugley included a generous amount of oak leaves and acorns, well-known fertility symbols. Others served as memorial rugs, usually draped over a casket, which tended to depict a central "broken" wreath of flowers that represented a break in the family circle.

The Waldoboro rug hookers did not confine their designs to florals. Occasionally an animal or landscape would sneak into the frame -- and the truly confident designer would attempt a geometric pattern. But any mistakes in hooking execution would spoil the pattern and be immediately recognizable. Several fine examples of geometrics can be seen in the show, including one handsome work thought to commemorate the laying of the Atlantic Cable in 1866.

Guest curator Mildred Peladeau has dedicated the exhibition "to the women of Waldoboro and the art they created." Through recently discovered documentation and the generosity of the rugs' donors, viewers have an opportunity to enjoy early works that have become the basis of an American tradition.

The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (978) 441-0400.