This man appears to be either the merchant or agent involved in selling carpets to the buyers from Simpson's, ca 1930s.

Oriental Rugs by Mail
by Neil Brochu

Popular since the late 19th century, oriental rugs were sold through department stores and mail-order catalogues. Simpson's sent its buyers to the Middle East to purchase better quality carpets directly at lower prices. Photographs from a 1930s buying trip were used by the company to promote sales.

Introduction | Buying Directly from the Middle East | Shipping the Carpets | Conclusion | Further Reading

Introduction

Simpson's Fall/WInter Catalogue, no. 104, 1907-08, p. 143.

When the popularity of oriental rugs began to grow at the end of the 19th century, department stores were among the first retailers in Canada to stock them. Hand-woven rugs were sold at Eaton's and Simpson's alongside machine-made floor coverings; later a specialized department was established. The rugs also appeared periodically in mail-order catalogues. Because each rug was more or less an individual work of art, the catalogues did not provide an exhaustive listing of the available stock. Customers interested in rugs were advised to write and ask for more details, such as in this notice from the Simpson's fall-and-winter catalogue in 1907.

It was also common for department stores and specialty dealers to mail oriental rugs to customers for approval. Customers chose the ones they wanted and returned the others. This allowed shoppers living outside of major Canadian centres to choose from a selection.

Buying Directly from the Middle East

Eric Cecil Budd poses with a Mr. Treloar and a camel, ca 1930s. Budd was the manager of the oriental carpet department at Simpson's Queen Street store in Toronto in the 1930s.

Department stores purchased oriental rugs from wholesalers in Europe and North America or sent buyers to acquire them directly from the Middle East. In the early 1930s, Simpson's sent Eric Cecil Budd, manager of the oriental rug department at the Toronto store, on a buying trip to Turkey. Photographs taken during this journey were later displayed in the downtown showroom. They gave customers a glimpse of the exotic origin of the carpets and demonstrated the lengths to which Simpson's would go to stock quality items.

Buyers at the warehouse, ca 1930s.

International buyers followed a specific protocol when acquiring carpets in the Middle East. Buyers were accompanied by rug brokers, who received a one per cent commission on sales. These brokers took the buyers to merchants at the "Khan," or warehouse, where rugs from surrounding villages were stockpiled. A low sofa, cushions, rugs, and a few low chairs were provided for the comfort of foreigners. Before business was conducted, the merchants inquired after the health of the buyers and served coffee, Russian tea, and cigarettes. The "narguleh," or water pipe, was also available for their enjoyment. The merchants were considered shrewd dealmakers.

Buyers at the warehouse, ca 1930s.

By sending buyers to Turkey to deal directly with the warehouses, rather than with English or North American wholesalers, the department stores were able to purchase better quality rugs at lower prices.

The Turkish town Demirdji was a large manufacturing centre for good quality oriental rugs. Young girls sat at a large vertical loom, typical of smaller workshops. The paper pattern for the rug was hung at the side of the loom. The Sparta carpet was characterized by its heavy weave, durability, and design inspired by Turkish or Persian motifs.

Young girls weaving a Sparta carpet at Demirdji, Turkey, ca 1930s.

A cradle is tied between two trees while a man weaves under a shelter, ca 1930s.

At the warehouse, rugs were graded and washed on the floor using water and brooms. After chemical dyes were introduced to the rug making industry in the 19th century, rugs were often bleached in the sun to soften the harsh colours. Bleaching was thought to make the rugs more appealing to North Americans.

	Carpets being washed and prepared for sale, ca 1930s.

	Buyers with merchants and local Turks, ca 1930s. Part of the Simpson's expedition to Turkey included a trip by camel to visit ancient ruins and the cities of Pergamos and Ephesus.

Eric Cecil Budd on a camel with a large Turkish carpet, ca 1930s. The man on the ground, a Mr. Treloar, probably also worked for Simpson's.

Buyers and merchants drinking Turkish coffee in front of an ancient ruin, with the Turkish rugs available for purchase clearly visible on the ground, ca 1930s.

Simpson's Spring/Summer Catalogue no. 77, 1903, p. 114.

Shipping the Carpets

Once carpets were selected, they were packed in bundles of 50 to 1000, tied with hair rope, covered in canvas, and secured with iron bands. Each bundle contained a mixture of higher and lesser quality items. The cost of the bundle was calculated using an average price per square foot.

Transporting the carpets by camel, ca 1930s.

The packed bundles were then taken by camel to a railhead, loaded onto a boxcar, and transported to the nearest customs house and shipyard. From there, they were loaded by hand onto ships bound for Europe and North America. It took about six months for a shipment to arrive in Canada.

Carpets being transported from the warehouse to a railhead by camel, ca 1930s.

Turks carrying heavy bales of rugs sometimes weighing 600 pounds [272 kg].

Conclusion

The handshake seals the deal, ca 1930s.

Photographs of the trip were displayed in Simpson's carpet department and certainly added to the mystique of the oriental rug. Special effort and consideration were required to sell the carpets both in the showroom and through mail-order catalogues. Given that no two rugs were alike, these items differed from other goods listed in the catalogues and were not obtained following usual mail-order procedures. The Simpson's catalogue gave customers living outside of major Canadian cities the opportunity to buy fine, quality oriental rugs not otherwise available locally.

Further Reading

Babayan, Levon. The Romance of the Oriental Rug. Toronto: Babayan's Ltd, 1925.

Coxon, Herbert. Oriental Carpets: How They Are Made and Conveyed to Europe with a Narrative of a Journey to the East in Search of Them. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1884.

Ellwanger, William De Lancy. The Oriental Rug: A Monograph. New York: Dobb, Mead and Company, 1903.

Gurdji, V. Oriental Rug Weaving. New York: F. Tennyson Neely Company, 1901.

Holt, Rosa Belle. Oriental and Occidental Rugs Antique and Modern. Garden City: Garden City Publishing Company, 1937.

Langton, Mary Beach. How to Know Oriental Rugs: A Handbook. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1904.

Lewis, G. Griffin. The Practical Book of Oriental Rugs. New York: J. B Lippincott Company, 1945.

Mumford, John Kimberly. Oriental Rugs. New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1900.

Nahigian Brothers. Oriental Rugs in the Home: A Monograph. Chicago: Nahigian Brothers, 1913.

Ripley, Mary Churchill. The Oriental Rug Book. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1904.