PILGRIM, CIRCA 1904, HOOK TURNER, WOOL PILE, BURLAP CARPET/RUG with floral decoration. The

PILGRIM, CIRCA 1904, HOOK TURNER, WOOL PILE, BURLAP CARPET/RUG with floral decoration. The letters “P L F T” (see at the border of the carpet) could be the signature of Priscilla TURNER or part of the pastor TURNER, MAINE (USA) family Pilgrims from UK on the MAYFLOWER ship (The Mayflower is the name of the cargo ship that brought the Puritan separatis,known as pilgrims, to North America in 1620. Typically, the Mayflower's cargo was wine and dry goods, but on this trip the ship carried passengers: 102 of them, all hoping to start a new life on the other side of the Atlantic). If this signature relates to a person or a guild, there is not a great deal of information out there about the Priscilla Turner Rug Guild, but we do know it was initially located in Turner, Maine. Named after the Pastor Turner, Harvey De Frost, Muriel Morrell, Merle Morrell, Dr. William Webber and Maj. George Webber owned a gristmill on the Nezinscot River in Turner village and in October 1922, De Frost and Muriel Morrell began preparing the building to be a rug Factory. This carpet was made prior to the opening of the said factory. Initially, the company was called “Deforest Products Company,” but then became “Deforest Association,” and finally Priscilla Turner Rug Company. Who “Priscilla Turner” might have been we have no idea, but she does sound like someone who just stepped off the Mayflower with a rug hook in her hand. Today, hooked rugs are a popular hobby using a latch hook (a tool with similarities to a crochet hook, with the addition of a hinged pin on the open side of the hook) that holds the yarn as it is pulled through a piece of canvas. This is a far different process than the way the antique rugs used to be made. The method of hooking rugs came about by necessity. Made first in the Northeastern States and some Eastern provinces of Canada in the 19th century, the rugs were made from any scrap material available and burlap feed sacks. These rugs were needed to keep floors warm and they also provided some decoration. The first rugs hooked had little by way of shading, but many interesting designs started to come about when women found they could put an image into their rugs. The most common design found in the earliest rugs was floral, expanding to include scenes and even images of peoples’ pets. As the process was refined, yarn made of wool or other fibers, was cut into uniform lengths and finer canvases were used. Hooked rugs have a variable pile, depending upon the lengths of yarn used, and the designs are increasingly complex. These rugs are flat on the bottom and not reversible. (370 x 270cm)