Floorcloth History

The history of floorcloths dates back to the early 1400s in France where painted wall hangings and table runners were used. The British took this art form and started the idea of painted canvas for the floor. Geometric patterns featuring diamonds, cubes, squares, and checkers were hand painted, often by the lady of the house.

In Colonial America, discarded canvas sails from ships were recycled as floorcloths as a way to imitate the fine flooring and carpets found in fashionable homes (without the financial burden). These cloths were often referred to as "crumb cloths" because of their use under dining room tables. With the additional bonus of making the floors warmer in the winter, they were also used in parlors and hallways.

For several hundred years these cloths were made and used in homes both small and grand. While in office, Thomas Jefferson had a dining room in the White House with a "canvas floor cloth, painted green." With the arrival of linoleum by the early 1920s, interest in hand made floorcloths virtually disappeared. . .