When you purchase a handpainted rug from ArtistFran you are sharing in a tradition that goes back several centuries. In America, painted cloth rugs were popular in Colonial times. Though the advent of linoleum in the middle of the 20th Century eclipsed them, floorcloths have been enjoying a renaissance that began in the 1960's. Today these durable and attractive rugs are seen in stylish homes everywhere across the country and have been featured on television programs and in magazine articles.
Floorcloths appear to have originated in France in the early 1400s - a direct spin off from table runners, painted wall hangings and tapestries. The first written reference to a floorcloth is a 1722 British receipt showing that Benjamin Powell paid "for a Bed Tent and...for a floor oyled cloth to lye in the tent." The reference to a "floor oyled cloth" indicates that coated fabrics were already in use as floor coverings
The British took this art form and started the idea of painted canvas for the floor. Geometric patterns featuring diamonds, cubes, squares and checkers were hand painted, often by the lady of the house. In the early days, this was a way to imitate the fine flooring found in fashionable homes (without the financial burden). These cloths, often referred to as "crumb cloths" because of their use under dining room tables, were also used in parlors and hallways. They had the additional bonus of making the floors warmer in the winter. For several hundred years these cloths were made and used in homes both small and grand. While in office, Thomas Jefferson had a dining room in the Whitehouse, with a "canvas floor cloth, painted green".
Though only small pieces of original floorcloths (or oilcloths as they were called in England) exist today, there is ample evidence of their existence in all kinds of paintings and it is easy to see how striking the various colors and patterns were in the early rooms.
The floorcloth appeared very early on in the United States. Various Boston area newspapers in early 1720 advertised a large assortment of styles and colors of painted carpeting as "Floor Cloths available for your enjoyment." In 1872 the first mail-order catalog, Montgomery Ward, brought a huge assortment of goods - including floorcloths of all sizes - within reach of even the most rural areas.
Early records of the use of floorcloths in America include the personal property inventories taken after the deaths of William Burnet (1688-1729), governor of Massachusetts, and Robert "King" Carter of Virginia (16-1732). George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams owned floorcloths. Most of these floorcloths probably came from England; however, near the end of the 18th century, Americans also produced them.
Until the invention of linoleum, these floor cloths were very popular throughout North America and many different designs showed up on the floors of peoples houses. Painted either free hand or using stencils, their wearable and washable finish made them a desirable addition to the home. Sails from ships were recycled as floor cloths and painted in bold traditional designs. The arrival of linoleum flooring in the US slowed the interest in hand made floorcloths and by the early 1920s they were virtually gone.
The encouragement of artisans to create one of a kind items caused a resurgence in the making of floorcloths in 1960 and once again the art form appeared, this time with a difference. Breaking with the traditional conservative motifs and patterns, folk artists began using bolder colors and familiar forms from their surroundings.
Today, the desire to preserve and restore so many of the great homes, has helped to keep this art form alive.
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