Rug pattern (Hooked rug pattern)

Description

This hooked rug pattern was designed by Edward S. Frost, the first commercial pattern maker for hooked rugs. The pattern, printed on burlap, depicts a field of colorful diamond shapes with a floral motif inside a large white diamond at the center. Hooked rugs are created by pulling loops of yarn, often wool, through the weave of a backing cloth using a hooking tool. The loops are pulled taught on the back of the rug, and piled and then clipped on the front side to create a design. In the second half of the 19th century, companies like E. S. Frost & Co. began selling rug hooking patterns, which provided outlines of pre-made designs printed directly onto the backing cloth. This pattern not only has outlines but is printed in color, which would provide rug makers with additional guidance on what color yarns they might wish to use. This object is one of a large group transferred to Winterthur from the American Textile History Museum when it closed in 2017.