Description:
Yarn-sewn hearth rug made by Eliza Lucas Williams (1773-1844), the second wife of Dr. William Stoddard Williams (1762-1829) who married in 1822. She entered this rug into the Brighton Cattle Show of the Massachusetts Agricultural Society in 1825, winning the cash prize of $1. These small rugs were used in placed on fireplace hearths. There is some debate as to the functions of these items. They may have been placed on the hearths of working fireplaces to protect floors or larger parlor carpets from sparks emitted from a fire, or were placed on the hearths of inactive fireplaces in the warmer months. It is not known when these yarn-sewn hearth rugs first became popular in American homes, but by the 1820s, they were very popular, which continued until around 1850 when hooked rugs and the commercial production of hooked rug patterns began to replace them. This rug has two puppies in the center, one seated and one curled up with one eye open, flanked by roses, and a four-sided border with grape leaves alternating with grape clusters. The image of the puppies is similar (but not identical) to that found on the Caswell carpet in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The scene of two adorable puppies expresses the social values of filial love and domestic happiness that were vitally important to early 19th-century Americans.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+R.186 |
