The “Art” of Carpet Making - Enfield Historical Society · follows: “A ‘Hartford-Saxony’...
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News and history from your museums August 2011 Issue The “Art” of Carpet Making Shown above is page 15 from the Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Company’s 1922 Hartford-Saxony rugs catalog. The catalog features artwork that would not look out of place framed and hanging on a wall. The catalog also contains a surprisingly detailed description of the carpet manufacturing process, no doubt intended to convince potential buyers of the quality of the Hartford-Saxony rugs. The illustration above is of one important part of that process, and is described in the catalog as follows: “A ‘Hartford-Saxony’ loom is shown on page fifteen. It is a typical Wilton loom, with the Jacquard attachment overhead, and, at the rear, the five large racks, or ‘frames,’ which hold hundreds of spools of yarn. From these five frames come what is practically five layers of woolen strands. The equivalent of one of these layers is found in the upstanding pile that forms the surface of the rug; the other four are buried in the back, and form a portion of the body of the fabric.” Turn to the back page to see more of the art of carpet making.
Transcript of The “Art” of Carpet Making - Enfield Historical Society · follows: “A ‘Hartford-Saxony’...
News and history from your museums August 2011 Issue
The “Art” of Carpet Making
Shown above is page 15 from the Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Company’s 1922 Hartford-Saxony rugs catalog. The catalog features artwork that would not look out of place framed and hanging on a wall. The catalog also contains a surprisingly detailed description of the carpet manufacturing process, no doubt intended to convince potential buyers of the quality of the Hartford-Saxony rugs. The illustration above is of one important part of that process, and is described in the catalog as follows: “A ‘Hartford-Saxony’ loom is shown on page fifteen. It is a typical Wilton loom, with the Jacquard attachment overhead, and, at the rear, the five large racks, or ‘frames,’ which hold hundreds of spools of yarn. From these five frames come what is practically five layers of woolen strands. The equivalent of one of these layers is found in the upstanding pile that forms the surface of the rug; the other four are buried in the back, and form a portion of the body of the fabric.” Turn to the back page to see more of the art of carpet making.
EHS Newsletter • August 2011 • 2
Enfield Historical Society Late Summer 2011 Calendar of Events
Sunday,
Sept. 11, 2011 Wallop School Open House – 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.at the Wallop School Museum, 250 Abbe Road on the corner of Wallop School Road. This is your last chance to visit our beautifully restored one-room school this year. Don’t miss it!
Sunday,
Sept. 18, 2011 Free Petting Zoo – 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.at the Old Town Hall Museum, 1294 Enfield Street. Have you always wanted to live on a farm, but couldn't? Do you miss the days when you lived on a farm? Now is your chance to spend an afternoon at the "farm" without all of the hard work! Come to the Old Town Hall to pet and feed a herd of friendly farm animals. Kids of all ages (including you) will love this event. Don’t forget to visit the Old Town Hall Museum while you are here.
Monday,
Sept. 26, 2011 Diana Ross McCain presents It REALLY Happened in Connecticut! – 7:00 P.M. at the Enfield American Baptist Church, 129 Post Office Road. A self–proclaimed witch confessed to consorting with the devil! A mysterious vagabond walked Connecticut back roads in a 60–pound suit of scrap leather for more than two decades! A serial killer’s crimes inspired a hit movie! Diana Ross McCain, author of the book, It Happened in Connecticut, will tell these amazing yet true stories, and more...
Diana Ross McCain is Head of the Research Center at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford. She draws her talk from the dozens of tales she has written about in recent books that include It Happened in Connecticut, Mysteries and Legends of New England, Connecticut Coast: A Town-by-Town Illustrated History, and Connecticut: Mapping the Nutmeg State Through History. Diana has also contributed dozens of articles on historical topics to Early American Life and Connecticut magazines, and to the Hartford Courant and Manchester Journal Inquirer newspapers. Her free-lance clients include World Book, Inc. and Fodor’s Travel Publications. She is the author of the award-winning publication about Connecticut’s official state heroine, To All On Equal Terms: The Life and Legacy of Prudence Crandall.
Copies of all of Diana’s books will be available for sale and autographing following the talk.
To find out more about the Connecticut Historical Society and its collection, visit www.chs.org/online or call 860.236.5621.
Sunday,
Oct. 9, 2011 Free Pony Rides – 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.at the Old Town Hall Museum, 1294 Enfield Street. Bring your children and grandchildren to this fun family event. Youngsters will be thrilled to ride one of the very gentle and friendly ponies from Rocky Acres Farm. Adults will enjoy the smiles on the children's faces. Don't forget your camera! Be sure to visit the Old Town Hall Museum while you are here.
Monday,
Oct. 24, 2011 Elizabeth Abbe presents Treasures from the Connecticut Historical Society’s Collections – 7:00 P.M. at the Enfield American Baptist Church, 129 Post Office Road. From the rare and exceptional Connecticut Valley high chest to a child’s potty chair, the Connecticut Historical Society has an astounding collection of treasures. This Power Point presentation is a visual feast showing the variety of objects that tell the story of Connecticut’s people. You’ll see the bright yellow dress worn by a young woman to Lincoln’s inauguration… a Colt presentation pistol… beautiful needlework done by Connecticut girls and much, much more…
Elizabeth Abbe is the Director of Public Outreach at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford. Elizabeth began her career as the Library Director at the Connecticut Historical Society and then left in 1985 for other opportunities. She worked in continuing education at Albertus Magnus College, marketing at Travelers, and development at the Bushnell Center of Performing Arts and the University of Hartford. Two years ago Elizabeth returned to the Connecticut Historical Society to take on her new position.
The Connecticut Historical Society’s mission is to inspire and foster a life-long interest in history. To find out more about the Connecticut Historical Society and its collection, visit www.chs.org/online or call 860.236.5621.
EHS Newsletter • August 2011 • 3
Sunday,
Oct. 30, 2011 Last Open Day – 2:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.at the Old Town Hall Museum, 1294 Enfield Street, and the Martha Parsons House Museum, 1387 Enfield Street. This is your final opportunity in 2011 to visit our outstanding museums before they close for the season and our volunteers begin preparing new exhibits for our 2012 opening.
Monday,
Nov. 28, 2011 Authors Leslie and Richard Strauss present Outhouses of Connecticut – 7:00 P.M. at the Enfield American Baptist Church, 129 Post Office Road. This delightful journey throughout Connecticut will have you laughing and learning at the same time. Step back into time–and yards. You will soon understand why we preserve these little buildings; how they conjure up memories and inspire tall tales. The photographs, recollections, poems and stories shared by Nutmeggers across the state clearly express why outhouses hold such a special place in our history and hearts.
Leslie and Richard Strauss will have copies of their book, Outhouses of Connecticut, available for sale and signing following their presentation.
To learn more about the authors and their book, visit www.outhousesofconnecticut.com.
Monday,
Jan.23, 2012 Show and Tell, featuring treasures from collections at the Old Town Hall Museum – 7:00 P.M. at the Enfield American Baptist Church, 129 Post Office Road. Show & Tell is the meeting where you provide the program. Bring your favorite antique, collectible, or heirloom and the story behind it. Bring something that is a mystery to you and perhaps someone at the meeting will be able to answer your questions about it. Or, simply share a story about Enfield’s past. Please plan your presentation to be no more than five minutes so that everyone has time to show their items.
As we have done in recent years, Old Town Hall Museum staff will bring a selection of artifacts from the Old Town Hall Museum that tell a story from Enfield's past. More details will be posted here as the date approaches.
Programs are subject to change. Check www.enfieldhistoricalsociety.org or area newspapers for schedule and program changes and other event announcements. Tune to WTIC AM 1080 radio or watch WFSB channel 3 for weather-related cancellation information.
Does this photo from the Thompsonville carpet mills look familiar? It should, as it was the model for the 1922 Hartford-Saxony rug catalog illustration shown on the front page of this newsletter!
Compare the two images and you will see that the artist made a few small changes, removing distracting details here and there, and adjusting others (like the angle of the frames and the path of the Jacquard cards) to make the process clearer and more attractive too. Although hard to see here, examination of the original photo shows that the artist went so far as to slightly adjust the pose of the operator in the background at right so that he is paying careful attention to his loom in the artwork, instead of looking at the camera.
EHS Newsletter • August 2011 • 4
A Picture Puzzle for Our Readers
The real photo postcard of Thompsonville’s “Central Square” shown above is packed full of details and brings to mind many questions. Do you have the answers? Let’s take a closer look.
The first question is when was this photo taken? There are several hints in the photo. Do you see them? You can turn to page 5 to find out when it was taken, which will help answer some of the remaining questions. But, if you prefer a challenge don’t peek at the answer – at least until you have read the rest of the questions.
Where is or was Central Square? How many roads are in this photo? What are their names? Are they paved? If so, with what?
In what direction are we looking?
What is the little building just right of center in the photo? Why are people sitting in front of it? What is the big sign in front of it?
Why are there so many wires and utility poles?
What are the tracks in the road for? Were they still in use when the photo was taken?
It looks like there is a porch sticking out from behind the large tree. Is there a house back there? Who might it have belonged to? Was it someone important?
What are the other buildings?
Are any of the buildings still standing? If not, what is there now?
What time of day is it? Is it early or late? How can we tell?
There are a lot of people in this photo, including a big group standing on and in front of the stone wall at the center of the photo, probably posing or showing off for the picture. What do you notice about them?
Finally, a bonus question – what is behind the house and small building at right?
Please send your answers by mail or e-mail to the newsletter address on page 5.
EHS Newsletter • August 2011 • 5
Correction
The Tobacco Answers and Questions column in the September, 2010 issue contained a spelling error. The name of the soap advertised on the barn on the postcard of Wm. Henry’s Place is Sapolio, not Sapollo. If you would like more information on Sapolio, Wikipedia has a very informative article.
Picture Puzzle Hint
There are a several hints visible in the postcard on page 4 that help to identify when the photo was taken. The electric street lights and tangle of electrical and phone wires should help. The style of clothing might help, but is a bit difficult to make out. The cars parked at left are a big clue. Postcard collectors might recognize the postcard series this card is part of and know about when it was published. There is one more important clue on the postcard, which, unfortunately, readers cannot see. The postmark on the back of the card identifies the latest date when the photo could have been taken. (Now is your last chance to look away before we give the spoiler.) The postmark year is – and you will have to read backwards – ytnewt neetenin. Now, are you ready to answer the rest of the questions on page 4? Please send your answers by mail or e-mail to the newsletter address on this page.
Visit Us
The Old Town Hall Museum 1294 Enfield Street Enfield, CT 06082 860.745.1729 Sundays May thru October 2:00 – 4:30 P.M.
The Martha Parsons House Museum 1387 Enfield Street Enfield, CT 06082 860.745.6064 Sundays May thru October 2:00 – 4:30 P.M.
The Wallop School Museum 250 Abbe Road Enfield, CT 06082 Check our calendar for open house dates
On the Web: www.enfieldhistoricalsociety.org
Contact Us
The Enfield Historical Society, Inc. P.O. Box 586 Enfield, CT 06083
E-mail: [email protected]
Join Us
Be a part of the Enfield Historical Society! To join, send your name(s), address, telephone number, e-mail address, and desired membership type to: Enfield Historical Society Membership, 31 Bridge Lane, Enfield, CT 06082. Include a check or money order payable to “Enfield Historical Society” for the membership amount for your requested membership type from the list below. Please print clearly. Everyone is welcome!
Individual ........... $10.00 Supporting ...... $100.00 Family* .............. $15.00 Life** ............... $250.00 Contributing ...... $20.00 Corporate ....... $200.00 Sustaining ......... $40.00 Benefactor ...... $500.00
* Family memberships include children under 21. ** Life memberships are for individuals only.
The Enfield Historical Society Newsletter is one benefit of joining, and is mailed to members in February, May, September, and November. Questions, requests, and suggestions about its content should be sent to:
Enfield Historical Society Newsletter 31 Bridge Lane Enfield, CT 06082
E-mail: [email protected] 860.745.3835
Copyright © 2011 by the Enfield Historical Society, Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the Enfield Historical Society, Inc.
EHS Newsletter • August 2011 • 6
The “Art” of Carpet Making
One job of the artist who illustrated the 1922 Hartford-Saxony catalog was to show homeowners how the carpets would improve their homes. This required a careful balance. The illustration must show a room that is elegant without either hiding the carpets or looking like a carpet showroom. The caption says this entrance hall has “an atmosphere of blended dignity, welcome, and cheer.” Do you agree?
It was also the artist’s job to show large commercial clients how the carpets would enhance their businesses. In this case, “The lobby of this hotel, with Georgian period decoration, is made very rich and striking by these large ‘Hartford-Saxony’ rugs, in an antique Chinese design of the 18
th
Century Ming period.” Note how the muted background helps make the carpets the focal point.
