History of Cheticamp Hooked Rugs

History of Cheticamp rug hooking
(See also History of Flora's)

The internationally renowned Cheticamp hooked rug enjoys a colorful history. The popularity of these prized hookings emanates from their perfect workmanship, rich pastel colors, diversity of design and the distinguished owners who display them with pride of history and talent. Cheticamp hooked rugs by Mrs. Elizabeth Lefort are prized possessions of Queen Elizabeth II, whose portrait in wool was presented to her on her visit to Cape Breton on July 31, 1959. When Queen Elizabeth returned to England the tapestry was taken to Buckingham Palace in London, where it hangs today as a reminder of her trip to our fair isle.

Elizabeth Lefort, also in 1959, hooked the portrait of Pope Pius XII, the Sovereign Pontiff, which was presented to the Apostolic Delegate, Monsignor S. Baggio and is now proudly exhibited in the Vatican Art Gallery, in the Vatican, Rome.
Celebrities including U.S. President Johnson, Jacqueline Kennedy, John Diefenbaker then Prime Minister of Canada, Lord Beaverbrook, Arthur Godfrey and Prince Charles are also proud recipients of her talents.
Cheticamp Hooked Rug

The tapestry, "My Country, Tis of Three" is a masterful work featuring the Presidents of the U.S. and historical events which took place while they were in office. It measures six feet three inches in width by 10 feet and 3 inches in length. Her tapestries in wool hang in The White House, Rideau Hall, Sussex Drive, The Vatican, Buckingham Palace, the Eisenhower Collection and Clarence House, home of the Queen Mother, as well as numerous private collections. Prime Minister Chretien, the present Prime Minister of Canada, also values the Cheticamp rug and has been presented with these masterpieces in recognition of his stature and contribution to Canada.
The Fiset family have played an integral role in the evolution of the Cheticamp hooked rug as a viable craft industry and have assisted in launching it to the predominance it celebrates today. Dr. Napoleon Fiset, brother of Fr. Pierre Fiset, married Marie Forest, an Acadian from Arichat. When Fr. Pierre Fiset was ordained and assigned to the Diocese of Antigonish, he asked his brother to establish his practice in Cheticamp.

Marie Fiset nee Forest was a student with an artistic flair of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Arichat. The Sisters are an established teaching order based in Montreal. From the Sisters she was taught the art of using wool and jute canvas in rug hooking. It was Marie Fiset who first made known the woolen rug to Cheticamp. Cheticamp Hooked Rug

The evolution of the Cheticamp hooked rug was at the forefront and with the arrival of Miss Lillian Burke, an important artist from New York, and summer visitor to the home of Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell at Beinn Bhreagh, Baddeck, rug making as produced in Cheticamp would become renowned.The ladies of Cheticamp were introduced to Miss Burke by Mrs. Fairchild, the daughter of Alexander Graham Bell, in 1927.

She quickly realized the talent of the Cheticamp ladies who were receptive to her ideas on design, dyes, colors and fixatives. Mrs. Marie-Jane Doucet was Miss Burke's coordinator while Mrs. Fairchild and Miss Burke were in Baddeck or at their boutique. Mrs. Doucet received 10% of the sales for her work and direction. It was understood that the rug would be returned to its owner, if not sold. In the first year, Mrs. Doucet collected seven rugs which were sent to Baddeck via the ship, Bras-d'or. They were quickly sold, the ladies paid and Mrs. Doucet received her commission. This was the first time anyone in Cheticamp was paid for making a rug. The next year, Mrs. Doucet had no problem collecting 200 rugs to send to Baddeck.
Every winter, Miss Burke returned to New York but the ladies of Cheticamp kept busy creating beautiful designs in soft pastel colors.
Cheticamp Hooked Rug

In 1932, after being widowed for a few years, Mrs. Doucet went to Halifax to take up residence with her children. Her successor as intermediary for Miss Burke was Mrs. Willie Aucoin. Together, Miss Burke and Mrs. Doucet had co-pioneered a distinctive new style of rug which boasted financial rewards and creative revenue for the ladies of Cheticamp.
The rug making industry was booming and Miss Burke had opened a gallery in New York. She spent all her time finding buyers and stamping designs for the rugs. It was the responsibility of Mrs. Aucoin to supervise the ladies, choose the workers, prepare the rugs for shipping and forward the finished product to New York. The rugs were paid for by the square foot, and Miss Burke was demanding in the use of colors and precision of the craftsmanship. As a reward for their work the ladies from Cheticamp were invited to Beinn Bhreagh where the 65Km trip was marvelled at and enjoyed by all. Miss Burke played a colorful part in the evolution of the Cheticamp hooked rug but she also made money as a result of her association with the community of Cheticamp. Each summer a family picnic was organized with games, soft drinks, food and good music.

During the economic depression which lasted until W.W.II, money was scarce and Miss Burke's rug making money proved a windfall to Cheticamp. The village became a workshop with men, women, boys and girls becoming involved in the craft.

As time marched on, a co-operative was formed to market the rugs and some ladies opted to join the co-operative movement while others remained loyal to Miss Burke. Mrs. Flora Boudreau decided to open her own boutique in an effort to eliminate bad feelings between the co-operative supporters and Miss Burke. Under her capable business acumen, Flora's has thrived to world renown. However, the talents of Miss Burke remain an integral part of the history and evolution of the perfected art form, the Cheticamp hooked rug(s), which are available through Flora's.

Miss Burke died in 1952, and Cheticamp is indebted to her for having developed this form of handcraft to a perfection which has achieved international renown.

Flora's has over 100 ladies creating this distinctive craft and in so doing, perpetuates a Cheticamp tradition in an Acadian region of Nova Scotia.

So,drop into our shop and now that you have an appreciation of the history of the Cheticamp hooked rug you will view the colors, the craftmanship and designs with renewed insight and appreciation.

Merci!

NOTE:

While researching the history of the Cheticamp hooked rug the book which was invaluable and has both an English and French edition was;

Father Anselme Chiasson (ed.),The History of Cheticamp Hooked Rugs and their Artisans, (Yarmouth;Lescarbot Publications, 1988)

This is available at Les Trois Pignons,Cheticamp and was a project of La Societe Saint-Pierre. The cost is $14.95 Cdn.

History || Come Inside || Location || Contact Us

	The internationally renowned Cheticamp hooked rug enjoys a colorful history. The popularity of these prized hookings emanates from their perfect workmanship, rich pastel colors, diversity of design and the distinguished owners who display them with pride of history and talent. Cheticamp hooked rugs by Mrs. Elizabeth Lefort are prized possessions of Queen Elizabeth II, whose portrait in wool was presented to her on her visit to Cape Breton on July 31, 1959. When Queen Elizabeth returned to England the tapestry was taken to Buckingham Palace in London, where it hangs today as a reminder of her trip to our fair isle.
Elizabeth Lefort, also in 1959, hooked the portrait of Pope Pius XII, the Sovereign Pontiff, which was presented to the Apostolic Delegate, Monsignor S. Baggio and is now proudly exhibited in the Vatican Art Gallery, in the Vatican, Rome. Celebrities including U.S. President Johnson, Jacqueline Kennedy, John Diefenbaker then Prime Minister of Canada, Lord Beaverbrook, Arthur Godfrey and Prince Charles are also proud recipients of her talents.
	The tapestry, "My Country, Tis of Three" is a masterful work featuring the Presidents of the U.S. and historical events which took place while they were in office. It measures six feet three inches in width by 10 feet and 3 inches in length. Her tapestries in wool hang in The White House, Rideau Hall, Sussex Drive, The Vatican, Buckingham Palace, the Eisenhower Collection and Clarence House, home of the Queen Mother, as well as numerous private collections. Prime Minister Chretien, the present Prime Minister of Canada, also values the Cheticamp rug and has been presented with these masterpieces in recognition of his stature and contribution to Canada. The Fiset family have played an integral role in the evolution of the Cheticamp hooked rug as a viable craft industry and have assisted in launching it to the predominance it celebrates today. Dr. Napoleon Fiset, brother of Fr. Pierre Fiset, married Marie Forest, an Acadian from Arichat. When Fr. Pierre Fiset was ordained and assigned to the Diocese of Antigonish, he asked his brother to establish his practice in Cheticamp.
Marie Fiset nee Forest was a student with an artistic flair of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Arichat. The Sisters are an established teaching order based in Montreal. From the Sisters she was taught the art of using wool and jute canvas in rug hooking. It was Marie Fiset who first made known the woolen rug to Cheticamp.

	The evolution of the Cheticamp hooked rug was at the forefront and with the arrival of Miss Lillian Burke, an important artist from New York, and summer visitor to the home of Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell at Beinn Bhreagh, Baddeck, rug making as produced in Cheticamp would become renowned.The ladies of Cheticamp were introduced to Miss Burke by Mrs. Fairchild, the daughter of Alexander Graham Bell, in 1927.
She quickly realized the talent of the Cheticamp ladies who were receptive to her ideas on design, dyes, colors and fixatives. Mrs. Marie-Jane Doucet was Miss Burke's coordinator while Mrs. Fairchild and Miss Burke were in Baddeck or at their boutique. Mrs. Doucet received 10% of the sales for her work and direction. It was understood that the rug would be returned to its owner, if not sold. In the first year, Mrs. Doucet collected seven rugs which were sent to Baddeck via the ship, Bras-d'or. They were quickly sold, the ladies paid and Mrs. Doucet received her commission. This was the first time anyone in Cheticamp was paid for making a rug. The next year, Mrs. Doucet had no problem collecting 200 rugs to send to Baddeck. Every winter, Miss Burke returned to New York but the ladies of Cheticamp kept busy creating beautiful designs in soft pastel colors.
In 1932, after being widowed for a few years, Mrs. Doucet went to Halifax to take up residence with her children. Her successor as intermediary for Miss Burke was Mrs. Willie Aucoin. Together, Miss Burke and Mrs. Doucet had co-pioneered a distinctive new style of rug which boasted financial rewards and creative revenue for the ladies of Cheticamp. The rug making industry was booming and Miss Burke had opened a gallery in New York. She spent all her time finding buyers and stamping designs for the rugs. It was the responsibility of Mrs. Aucoin to supervise the ladies, choose the workers, prepare the rugs for shipping and forward the finished product to New York. The rugs were paid for by the square foot, and Miss Burke was demanding in the use of colors and precision of the craftsmanship. As a reward for their work the ladies from Cheticamp were invited to Beinn Bhreagh where the 65Km trip was marvelled at and enjoyed by all. Miss Burke played a colorful part in the evolution of the Cheticamp hooked rug but she also made money as a result of her association with the community of Cheticamp. Each summer a family picnic was organized with games, soft drinks, food and good music.