The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-11-07


or two at a time without being missed.
I've grown younger every DAY since
gave gave up having carpets on my
floors"
This seems to voice the general senti-
ment OF housekeepers who have tried the
experiment. One cause of the increasing
popularity OF the oriental rug Is doubtless
the greater variety in texture ana pat
terms which has come with the growth OF
the trade This season there are more
different kind OF rugs than ever before.
The great importing houses have We'd
with one another In securing unique
and striking patterns. Their buyers have
secured the Orient from Turkey To the
China Sea i'm search Of odd and pleasing
things. One large firm in New York
has arranged for the exclusive sale Of
the whole product of a certain village
I'm India famous for its rugs.
Just at present the most popular thing
in expensive rugs comes from northern
China. II was discovered a couple Of
seasons ago that in some of the small
villages i'm the interior Of China rugs
OF beautiful colors and striking antique
patterns were being made. A number OF
them were brought 70 this country. where
they have attracted favorable notice and
have brought large prices. selling easily
at a couple of hundred dollars a piece:
while the finest ones bring more than
twice that amount.
The weaving OF oriental rugs ia as
truly an art as the making Of tapestries
or the painting of n picture. Many fam
flies in Persia and India have been weav-
ers for generations. and the present
members are quite content TO copy the
designs originated by some distant an
-,
the fine sense Of harmony I'm shade and
color persists. and they turn out new
patters. as artistic as any Of the older
ones. In n few cases American and Eu-
ropean artists have drawn designs TO be
executed in the East. but these have u.s.
ualIy been for large and expensive rugs
ordered by wealthy customers.
For a long time the product Of Persia
was the finest and most beautiful but
European dealers. in their desire for
cheaper article. flooded the country with
orders for an inferior class Of goods. and
this. with the general degeneracy Of the
modern Persian, has almost destroyed
the artistic skill which made their ear
lier work famous.
7 recently had a talk with a gentleman
who has returned from an extended trip
through India. Persia and China, in
~
Oriental rugs are like wine" said he.
"in that they improve with age. The
most valuable rugs I'm existence to-day
are the antique Perslans. many Of them
no or 200 wears old There is nothing that
gives a fine rug a settled color and gloss
like hundreds Of bare feet tramping across
IL year after year This has led to al.
tempts at fictitious ageing by beating
and artificial wearing and fading. but
detected by an expert. Some Of the gen
uine are worth as high as $1,000. II Is
impossible 10 wear out antique rugs OF
fine quality. for they are woven with
warp that is like iron. and every year
adds 10 the value"
do any Of these expensive rugs come
10 American
Some Of them have. and more win
when they are found. | would gladly
nay $4,000 for a rug, II / found one worth
that sum. for America Is coming TO de-
mand tho very best in this as in other
household fittings"
Tho most popular rugs for the mod
est purse are at present the Indian and
Armenian products. They are all WOW
On by hand. with Handkerchief warp.
and last almost as well as the very costly
ones. Some very attractive designs I'm
rugs OF medium size are 10 be had for
SZD or $50 Considering the amount Of
work lavished on them, this Is marvel
lousy cheap: for II takes a Hindu fam
ilv six or eight weeks 10 weave an or
binary Sxi0 rug. It may be guessed from
this that the condition Of the rug-weavers
is not one OF great prosperity, yet 1t pays
as well as most other kinds OF work in
the ovcr-crowded East. The accompany
ing illustration. drawn from photographs
gives a correct idea OF the work and the
condition Of the laborers.
one peculiar thing i'm connection VIII
the Armenian rug business is that the
recent prosecutions have driven many
OF the weavers 10 this country, and
they are now to be found I'm all our big
cities Many of them have found employ
ment i'm the great department stores,
where they set up their looms In the
windows and ply their trade, at the same
time serving as a useful advertisement
for their employers. As ii takes rather
more than year 20 turn out single OX3
rug. such services would scarcely be prof
table 10 the employer as an advertise
ment-for a rug which thus cost them
5000 for labor and material sells for less
than 500.
Although many Armenian rugs are at
present made I'm this country. from i'm
ported yarns. and in exactly the same
manner as abroad. they are considered
inferior 10 the genuine orientals and do
not command the same prices. The diff
ference is said to be i'm the warp, which
cannot be obtained here, of such tough
ness and closeness Of texture as char
acterizes the native product Of the orient.