Helen King (Mrs. Harry King) Rug
The craftsmanship of this hand-hooked rug is remarkable, and recognizing its past gives it an even greater panache. Donated by Amy Armstrong of the Historic Arkansas Museum, this 3’ x 6’ wool rug is called the “Old Museum Design, Cambridge” and was designed by Mrs. Harry King.
Mrs. King studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati Art Museum, the Ohio Mechanical Institute, the Cincinnati Art Museum, Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Galloway Women’s College at the University of Texas where she chanced upon the picture of a rug pattern in 1936 she thought would be interesting to replicate. She chose a Colonial design and used wool with a burlap backing. By magnifying the design, she created a stencil, stamped the design on the burlap, and meticulously threaded each specifically colored woolen piece through to create a breathtaking masterpiece. As she dyed and worked the wool into the rug, she had seven offers from others to create the same design for their own homes. Thus began an interesting cottage industry from an industrious rug designer.
If the story ended there, you would feel good about Mrs. Harry King. However, the story just increases in breadth and scope as Mrs. King showcased her rugs at the Eastern States Exposition in 1940-1955 in various cities, was featured in Life Magazine in 1940, National Geographic in 1946, McCall’s, La Revue des Fermieres, Early American Life, Holland’s and several Arkansas newspapers. Her bestselling book, How to Hook Rugs, was published in 1946 and reached the attention of millions of fans. Mrs. King created rug hooking clubs throughout the Southeast and taught classes at Lyon (Arkansas) College along with other institutions of higher learning. She was even invited to the Smithsonian Institute to showcase the craft of rug hooking.
In total, Mrs. King created over 25,000 patterns of more than 1,000 original rug designs on her burlap backings, gaining the attention of museums and collectors worldwide to replicate patterns of “priceless museum pieces”, according to the September 1946 issue of National Geographic. Brochures from the Putnam Dye Company showcase her creative designs along with instructions on the proper dying of wool to create these masterpieces.
Considered an expert on all aspects of hook rug design, Mrs. King had a favorite: the creation of the initial design. Inspirations might strike when she looked at the intricate scrolling on the back of a chair, or patterns on a Christmas card. Regardless of the source, her enthusiasm for this aspect of rug making was evident through the intricate designs and beautiful hand-crafted creations she produced.
OIRM is delighted with this acquisition from Ms. Armstrong, who understood from the name of the rug it belonged in an “Old Museum”. We are looking forward to careful cleaning of this treasure to reveal its singular beauty.
