This is one of at least two bed rugs produced by members of the Packard family of Jericho, Vermont. Dated within one year of each other, the two textiles share a basic geometric layout, though there is some variance in individual floral and geometric motifs. Bed rugs were made from the early eighteenth century through the early decades of the nineteenth. Originally it was believed that they were particular to the Connecticut River Valley, but it has since been established that they were made throughout New England. Although bed rugs resemble later hooked rugs, they were worked with a needle and usually were yarn-sewn in a running stitch through a foundation of wool or sometimes linen. Small loops left on the surface could be clipped to form a pile or left unclipped, as in this example, giving a flat, chenille-like appearance. These large and heavy bedcovers represented an impressive investment of time and effort. Makers usually gathered raw materials specifically for the project, and because bed rugs were almost invariably home produced, this meant raising the sheep that provided the wool, which then needed to be spun and dyed. Designs were carefully conceived to ensure that enough material to produce a pattern was made all at once.

The design of this bed rug is reminiscent of strapwork, an ornamental scrollwork often seen in Mannerist decoration, and this connection further demonstrates the endurance of aesthetic ideas introduced into New England more than a century before. The flat pile and geometric layout with separate floral and clamshell elements also show the influence of Transylvanian-type rugs with strapwork designs that are displayed on tables in some colonial portraits. Turkeywork rugs, with similar designs, were imported directly into the American colonies from Europe. There, authentic Turkish rugs had influenced northern European craftsmen, particularly in the textile centers in the Netherlands. During the seventeenth century, when some of these craftsmen immigrated to America, their ideas were absorbed into various decorative arts and were also received by women who incorporated them into their home-produced textiles.

Stacy C. Hollander, "Packard Bed Rug," in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum. (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 297.