Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1890-02-28
BEAUTIFUL OLD RUGS.
SOME OF PECULIAR PATTERN MADE
OVER A CENTURY AGO.


the wool from tho Angora Gont-Prioes
varying nrosa $40 to sI,OoO-Rioher iu
Tone After Years Of wcnr
In a small room on the second floor Of
a building near Broad and Market streets,
Newark, young Armenian sat on a pile
Of soft and-velvety rugs. describing to Il
number of people in the apartment the
quality Of the goods. some Of which were
over 100 years old. On the floor lay a
6ne Bokhara rug, valued at S75. and
made, it was said anywhere from 100 TO
l50 years ago. 1t was of peculiar pat
tern, hardly twoof any Of the similar fig
ures being alike in every particular.
Where in one figure there was a back
ground Of rel in another there was white.
Blue was placed in some but omitted in
others, and various other Peculiarities
were noticed showing that different
colors had been used and that different
women had worked at the same rug.
The most admired feature Of the rug was
its beautiful gloss. which changed us the
light struck it.
THE ARMENIAN RUG MAKER.
The Armenian arose from hisseat. and,
taking hold of one side of the rug. swung
it around Instantly all the colors as
sumed dark hue, with'here and there.
where the light fell directly on the rug,
a bright spot. Another turn was given.
and all the warm. bright colors compris-
ing the rug were brought out like flash.
THE gloss is obtained" the Armenian
explained. by constant wear for many
years, A rug does not get any gloss until
it has been used for fifty years, and some
times it even takes longer than that. For
this reason principally you can buy
new rug a good deal cheaper than m old
rug. There are other reasons. however,
why the old rugs are more valuable.
Formerly the best wool was used. Now.
however, much of the best wool Is sent
to Europe. where ii commando high
prices. Formerly also. vegetable dyes
were used entirely Now mineral dyes
have been introduced, and many of the
rugs are dyed with mineral and vegetable
dyes combined. The most expensive rugs
are made of wool from the Angora goat
II sold one to w, K. Vanderbilt in
New York. that was over 400 years old.
A gentleman in WilkesbarTe. Pa, bought
one that was over 300 years old He
paid 500 for ii, and it contained twelve
| patches. some Of which we're four or five
inches square These holes are caused
from constant wear in those places In
Scranton there is a gentleman whose
father was a missionary to Turkey The
latter bought a rug forty-eight years
ago. but 1t has not got the gloss on il
yet At my home in Asia Minor we
have a rug my grandfather had fifty
years ago This Is different kind from
the Bokhara, however. and does not get
glossy.
The gloss has TO be obtained from
constant wear. Ii it be obtained by
other and quicker means it is not the
same Take such a rug and put it in
! water, and it will lose the gloss. These
( old rugs are cl ,.ned in Turkey by plac-
| ing them in the river, and then allowing
them to dry in the SUM-. They do not
lose their gloss. After years Of wear the
colors change, but they become simply
more subdued and richer in tone, and
are more highly priced on that account. y
ASTONISHING WEIGHT
| The speaker went TO one corner of the
room and lifted rug 81 feet long by
l-3 feet wide
TRY and lift that" he said.
The reporter took hold of it and held il
/ out It felt like so much lead.
THAT is Tinis rug, and it weighs
| twenty-five or thirty pounds at least.
Snch rugs as this have the longest nap,
and they are considered most useful as
bedroom rugs. Most of them sell foI
from $40 to 500, although large one:
bring rs much as $500 Some antiques
measuring 7xlG feet. have brought S90(
or $780, The Bokhnra, however, is the
most expensive and the finest of the An.
CORA wool rugs. They are more glossy
than any other in Turkish goods. Mex
TO these the antique Daghestan and Ka
Yak rugs are the glossiest and finest
The latter il "A closer woven rug than the
former. this constituting the main differ
ence between them. The Kourdistar
rugs are also very costly, and are among
the heaviest One, II by 10 feet. weigh
ing l25 pounds, brings about $500.
"Almost any amount of money can bC
placed In a rug. An Albany judge,
heard. paid recently in New York 81 ,00t
for one. The largest Turkish rug evel
made was made for the sultan about {
year and half ago, in honor Of hi
birthday anniversary. 1t was 25 yards
long by IS wide, and took forty womeI
three years to make il. 1t was presented
to the sultan by some wealthy men.
1T is difficult to say how long i
would take 70 make rug The Turkisl
rugs are made by farmers wives anc
the poorer class after they are through
with their days work, just as fancy
work is made here They are not mad,
with the intention Of selling them. al
though it is not difficult for agents frav
cling through the country 10 buy them
Women don't work in factories as they
do here. but there is certain kind O.
work which the manufacturers bring
around to the houses to be done. WomeI
in our country haven't the privileges o.
going out and seeing each other thai
they have here. They earn a living
however, making what are called Bag
dad portiercs, one Of which you sex