The rug fastener
By flipping the back side of one of an antique Peking carpet we were surprised by finding attached along the border line several small metal discs with holes in them stitched to the carpet. One side is stamped with a little rosette flower, the other side shows the inscription: New Sultan Samuel Donchian Rug Co.
That triggered our curiosity to the point of digging a little bit further….
The research was successful: These metal coins are the top piece of a rug fastener, patented in 1910 by Samuel B. Donchian and some years later (1929/30), probably in version slightly modified, also by his son Paul S. Donchian. It consists in two elements, the bottom one was attached to the floor and the top one that was stitched to the carpet.
The family Donchian, Armenians of Turkish origin had immigrated to the US in the 19th ct. Around 1910 Samuel B. Donchian opened up a large store for rugs and carpets at Hartford Connecticut, in the same period happened the invention of the rug fastener.
His son Paul S. Donchian, who studied at the Yale University and dedicated his professional work mainly to mathematic models, had grown up among carpets. Among several inventions he also deposited a new US patent for the rug fastener.
The rug fastener was produced probably for a limited period. The bottom part had to be attached directly to the floor causing a limitation to the use.
There a several solutions to prevent a rug from sliding on a floor. Today mainly a special pad is placed underneath the carpet.
This curiosity has also revealed something about the story of the carpet, that surely once belonged formerly to an US collection.