74/131/60

Poole (Maker)

A rag rug made by Mrs Poole of Labrador, Canada, depicting the Grenfell Mission's boat. It is an example of 'picture hooking'. The design has been worked in narrow strips of cloth on a sack backing. It is part of the Hemeon Collection of rug-making tools and thrift rugs.

1 rug: textile, hessian

MERL Catalogue Form (temporary) – ‘Object name: RUG // Other name: (PICTURE HOOKING) // … // Notes: An example of ‘Picture Hooking’ from Labrador, Northern Canada. It depicts the Grenfell Mission Boat. The ‘picture’ is worked with narrow cloth strips on a sack backing using a homemade hook (a large nail with notch cut into it, and fixed in a wooden handle).’, Letter, Joan Stedmen to M. F. Hemeon, 22 April 1971 – ‘Dear Mrs Hemeon, // I saw an article describing your great interesting in “hooking” of all kinds, and thought you might perhaps like to have this example of the “picture hooking” as done by the women of Labrador, North Canada. Most of the white people there, originated in England, and they have always hooked rugs for their home, but the Grenfell Mission taught, and encouraged picture hooking as a “home industry” in the outposts. // This picture was hooked for me and shows the Grenfell Mission’s boat, in which I did long trips along the coast, as a Grenfell nurse. It is done on ordinary sacking, with strips cut from old clothes, using a home made hook – a large nail with a notch cut in the side, fixed in a wooden handle. Mrs Poole [the maker] did not draw the picture first – just hooked it as she went along. I have some others, so would like you to have this if you would care for it.’, MERL Miscellaneous Note, Greta Bertram, 10 December 2013 – The Hemeon Collection of rug-making tools and thrift rugs (74/131/1–74) was put together by Maidie F. Hemeon. Mrs Hemeon was interested in the tradition of ‘thrift’ rugs – rugs made using old fabrics and home-made or home-adapted tools. This type of rug has many names, including ‘rag’, ‘proddie’, ‘peggie’, ‘hooky’, ‘proggy’, ‘clippy’ and ‘bodgy’ rug. These rugs became widespread during the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, but by the 1920s the craft was dying out except in areas of poverty or where tradition had a stronger hold. The necessity for thrift during World War II brought a brief revival, but it did not last long. Mrs Hemeon published a letter in the June 1970 edition of the Women’s Institute ‘Home & Country’ magazine in which she expressed her ambition to trace and preserve all the tools used in the craft before it was industrialised. She hoped to build up a display of samples, materials, tools and coloured photos of finished work in use, for demonstration, exhibition and educational purposes, and to simulate interest in making rag rugs as a living craft rather than as the remains of a dead one. She received many donations in response to the article, and in due course the collection came to MERL. It is likely that some of the samples in the collection were made by Mrs Hemeon. Further information can be found in the MERL Archives, D79/31.

Labrador [Canada]

Fibre, jute, Fibre