Carpet Sample Case

Maker A. and M. Karagheusian

PeriodCirca 1950 - 1960

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

MediumCardboard, plastic

Dimensions12.63 × 10.13 in. (32.1 × 25.7 cm)

ClassificationsA. & M. Karagheusian Rug Mill Collection

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Richard Hurley, 1988

Object number1988.5.20

DescriptionA cardboard sample case, hinged at the left and closing with a single snap at right. The case is covered with deep blue pebble textured vinyl plastic, and printed across the front of the cover in gold is "Plain Shade Broadloom by / The Makers of Gulistan," along with the Karagheusian Gulistan emblem of two camels. "Made in U.S.A. by the Makers of Gulistan" is printed below.
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 case 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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