- Antimacassar
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
macassar oil , anunguent for the hair commonly used in the early 19th century — the poet Byron called it, "thine incomparable oil, Macassar."The fashion for oiled hair became so widespread in the Victorian and the
Edwardian period that housewives began to cover the arms and backs of their chairs with washable cloths to preserve the fabric coverings from being soiled. 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 parlor furniture; they were either made at home using a variety of techniques such as
crochet ortatting , or purchased. The original antimacassar was usually made of stiff white crochet-work, but in the third quarter of the 19th century it became simpler and softer, usually with a simple pattern in wool 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. (See also,
Doily ).Antimacassars are also used on the seat headrests of commercial passenger transport vehicles, such as
train s,bus es and especiallyaircraft to extend the life of fabrics.References
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