The market for hooked rugs

Until the advent of manufactured goods, the scarcity of raw materials and lack of financial resources forced people to produce household articles themselves. As it adapted itself to newly available materials, rug hooking was transformed from a domestic task into an art form, and rugs gradually evolved into works of art that decorated and enhanced domestic interiors.

When commercial patterns came onto the market, they were initially bought by rug hookers to vary the designs they were already using. The vogue for hooked rugs continued to grow, which led to their becoming a saleable item around the beginning of the 20th century. During that period, artisans began creating rugs geared to the tastes of buyers.

Although Canadian rugs were exported to the United States, American creations rarely crossed the border and exerted little influence on Canadian rug making.