Dictionary Definition
antimacassar n : a piece of ornamented cloth that
protects the back of chair from hair oils
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
- A cover for the back or arms of a chair or sofa, originally to prevent them from being soiled by macassar oil.
Translations
- German: Antimakassar Antimakassars, Sofaschoner
Extensive Definition
An antimacassar is a small cloth placed over the
backs or arms of chairs, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to
prevent soiling of the permanent fabric.
The name is attributable to macassar
oil, an unguent for
the hair commonly used in the early 19th century
— the poet
Byron called it, "thine incomparable oil, Macassar."
The fashion for oiled hair became so widespread
in the Victorian
and the Edwardian
period that housewives began to cover the arms and backs of their
chairs with washable cloths to preserve the fabric coverings from
being soiled. Around 1850, these started to
be known as antimacassars. They were also installed in theatres,
from 1865.
They came to have elaborate patterns, often in
matching sets for the various items of parlor furniture; they were
either made at home using a variety of techniques such as crochet or tatting, or purchased. The
original antimacassar was usually made of stiff white crochet-work,
but in the third quarter of the 19th century it became simpler and
softer, usually with a simple pattern in wool or silk.
By the beginning of the 20th
century, antimacassars had become so associated in peoples’
minds with the Victorian period that the word briefly became a
figurative term for it. (See also, Doily).
Antimacassars are also used on the seat headrests
of commercial passenger transport vehicles, such as trains, buses and especially aircraft to extend the life of
fabrics.
References
antimacassar in German: Antimakassar
antimacassar in Dutch: Antimakassar
antimacassar in Norwegian: Antimakassar
antimacassar in Swedish:
Antimakass