Prototype. Chapter text drafted from the research notes and not yet checked at the archives. Images awaiting permission are marked.

Crocheted rug, 1880–1900 (American Folk Art Museum 1985.21.1)

Object · not yet checked at the source · Image permission pending

Date: 1880–1900
Place: Watervliet, New York, or Maine (possible origins)
Held by: American Folk Art Museum
Number: 1985.21.1
Materials: hand-dyed wool, woven wool cloth, ingrain carpet
Themes: Rug-making techniques, Hooked & handmade rugs

View at the source Cited in chapter 1, note 33

Cite this source

Unknown maker. Crocheted rug, 1880–1900 (American Folk Art Museum 1985.21.1), 1880–1900. American Folk Art Museum, 1985.21.1. collection.folkartmuseum.org/objects/922/crocheted-rug.

Research notes

How it works: strips of cloth or yarn are worked with a crochet hook into chained loops, built row by row or in rounds into a dense mat with no separate foundation. This object: crocheted from hand-dyed wool, woven wool cloth and recycled ingrain carpet, 55 × 37 1/2 in. The record is marked as a work in progress. Knitting: AFAM's exhibition 'The Great Cover-Up' (2007) showed a rare knitted rug attributed to Elvira Hulett of the Hancock Shaker community (object number not seen). Other crochet: a Wichita Art Museum hooked rug of about 1880 has a crocheted edge. No earlier dated crocheted or knitted floor rug was found. Sources: https://collection.folkartmuseum.org/objects/922/crocheted-rug · https://folkartmuseum.org/exhibitions/the-great-cover-up-american-rugs-on-beds-tables-and-floors · https://wam.org/our-collection/collection/hooked-rug-with-crochet-edge/ Research note (Oct 2026): from search results; pages not opened.