Carpet Sample

Maker A. and M. Karagheusian

PeriodCirca 1940 - 1950

Place MadeFreehold, New Jersey, U.S.A.

MediumWool, jute

Dimensions14.5 × 11.75 in. (36.8 × 29.8 cm)

ClassificationsA. & M. Karagheusian Rug Mill Collection

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Richard Hurley, 1988

Object number1988.5.14

DescriptionA rectangular carpet sample woven in dyed wool fibers on a jute backing, in a floral and foliate paisley pattern in shades of blue, green, black, light brown, and deep rose pink.
Curatorial RemarksThe Karagheusian brothers Arshag (1871 - 1963) and Miran (1874 - 1948) began their rug manufacturing business in Freehold in about 1904 whent they purchased the defunct V. Henry Rothschild Shirt Factory on Jackson Street, converting the plant into a rug weaving factory. The factory operated until 1961, when operations were moved to Georgia and North Carolina. At its peak, the Karagheusian Rug Mill was the second largest privately-held carpet company in the world, and employed more than 1,700 men and women in the Freehold facility. The company was best known for its introduction of the "Gulistan" carpet in 1928. The firm developed a secret chemical process to treat its woven carpeting, resulting in a sheen and gloss greatly resembling coveted hand-woven silk carpeting from the Middle East. The Gulistan carpet line was in part responsible for the company's survival during the Great Depression.NotesThis carpet sample belonged to the donor's father, Burt Jackson (1907 - 1987) of Freehold, a Karagheusian Rug Mill employee. Jackson was born in Kidderminster, England, in 1907 and worked as a weaver for the Karagheusian Rug Mill for forty years, retiring in 1961 when the factory closed its doors.

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