Silk Stocking Mats: Hooked Mats of the Grenfell Mission

Karen F. Danielson, Ph.D., is a research consultant at Laurentian
University who specializes in leisure, textiles, family life, and Japan.

At the beginning of the 20th century, cottage industry was introduced to
the isolated settlements on the coast of Labrador and Newfoundland by an
English physician, Dr. Wilfred Grenfell. For many years, this Grenfell
Mission project attracted generous sponsors, volunteers, artists, and
administrators who enabled residents to produce silk mats that have
become an important cultural legacy.

In the 1920s, supervisor Mae Alice Pressley-Smith realized the value of
hooking mats with discarded silk stockings and underwear. Donors in many
places were urged to gather materials and mail them to Labrador. The
stockings were dyed and made into mats that would appeal to tourists and
buyers located in the United States, England, and Canada. The project
survived difficulties with import duties, transportation, and overhead
as well as the stock market crash of 1929 and the Second World War.
Records from the late 1920s show that in one year, about 2,000 workers
produced 3,000 mats for $9,000. Three dollars would have been useful at
this time when the price of fish had declined and government relief was
six cents per day. Eventually, the popularity of sheer nylon stockings
eroded the supply of silk, there were new opportunities for work, and
wool became the fibre of choice for mats that would serve the tourist
market.

Laverty describes how northern animals, plants, and landscapes as well
as mat hooking trends of the time were incorporated in the designs. She
also discusses the preparation of materials, management of quality, and
marketing. Photographs of more than 80 mats from public and private
collections are included in the book along with related documentation
about fibre content, size, production, and sales. As Laverty notes, the
work remains anonymous.

This work illustrates the enduring value of such handmade objects.
Readers will enjoy the craftsmanship evident in the gallery pages, the
photos of life in this rugged environment, and the way designs interpret
daily life. There is much to inspire artists as well as those who
purchase and care for such items.