Antimacassar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An antimacassar is a small cloth placed over the backs or arms of chairs, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling of the permanent fabric.
The name is attributable to the unguent for the hair commonly used in the early 19th century, macassar oil— the poet Byron called it, "thine incomparable oil, Macassar."
The fashion for oiled hair became so widespread in Edwardian and Victorian period that housewives began to cover the arms and backs of their chairs with washable cloths to preserve the fabric coverings from being spoilt. Around 1850, these started to be known as antimacassars. They were also installed in theatres, from 1865.
They came to have elaborate patterns, often in matching sets for the various items of parlour furniture; they were either made at home using a variety of techniques such as crochet or tatting, or bought from shops.
The original antimacassar was almost invariably made of white crochet-work, very stiff, hard, and uncomfortable, but in the third quarter of the 19th century it became simpler and less inartistic, and was made of soft coloured stuffs, usually worked with a simple pattern in tinted wools or silk.
By the beginning of the 20th century, antimacassars had become so associated in peoples’ minds with the Victorian period that the word briefly became a figurative term for it.
The children's television show Big Comfy Couch had a character named Auntie Macassar.
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
