1930s Grenfell Rug of Dog Sled Team, Mounted and Framed

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A framed Grenfell rug depicting a dog sled team, ca. 1930s. One of the finest we’ve ever seen, the maker … Read more A framed Grenfell rug depicting a dog sled team, ca. 1930s. One of the finest we’ve ever seen, the maker ingeniously used patches of seal fur to represent the dogs.

The Grenfell rug project began during the arts and crafts period of the early 20th century. Its founder, Sir Wilfred Grenfell, was an English missionary who arrived on the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland in 1892. He was distressed to find the local fishing communities living in extreme poverty and established a medical mission to provide them with healthcare and aid.

In 1906, Grenfell hired Jessie Luther, an American occupational therapist, to help turn the region's household rag-hooking craft into a formalized cottage industry. This provided women with a vital way to support their families during the long winter months. It became a cause that women in both Canada, England and the United States were eager to support and their old stockings were collected to be used in the rug making process. Working from designs drawn by Luther or at times their own imagination, these women created a unique folk art that was highly sought after from the 1920s through the 70s. Interest in the craft has once again sparked among textile collectors however, particularly as rare examples from generational collections have begun to come to come to light. See less