The Futurist, Cubist, Vorticist movement, whatever its effect has been in the world of Fine Art, has had but little influence upon carpet design and colour. But perhaps this is yet to come.
There has been one more stage in the development of carpet design, which may be regarded as a part of, but slightly different from, the period-study stage. This may be called the Archaeological. The art of Greece and Rome, apart from the superb acanthus scroll, has left little that lent itself to carpet decoration; but older civilisations have been drawn upon; and the finely conventionalised ornament of Ancient Egypt, Chaldea, and Assyria, has been utilised in harmonious and dignified carpets. Nor is this tendency likely to be arrested, as long as fresh fields can be found that will repay exploration.
All this is extremely healthy and stimulating for the industry. It involves study and effort and originality; and it makes for real progress. The consumer of carpets has been growing more discriminating, just as he has been growing more eclectic. His taste is varied: he may buy a Hamadan design or a Celtic; but he will want it pure in style, and well coloured. He is interested in a little archaeology; but he likes a sound design better than archaeology, and finds a good colouring more important still.
What developments the future holds in store it is impossible to say. It may be that we shall have a reaction from this, eclecticism, this cosmopolitanism of taste, to a more insular vogue; that we shall even evolve a Twentieth Century British style in carpets as characteristic as the Egyptian or the Renaissance.
Meanwhile, some indication has been given of the steps by which the carpet trade has reached the high and varied standard of excellence in design and colour which it enjoys to-day.
CHAPTER XII
STATISTICS
The British carpet manufacturing trade cannot claim to compare in size with the larger industries of the country; but the figures which follow will give some measure of its extent. It should be premised that, owing to the disturbance of the industry caused by war conditions, it is necessary to go back to 1913 to obtain figures which can be regarded as approximately normal.
There are forty-five firms engaged in the manufacture of carpets, of whom eleven are located in Scotland, nine in the North of England, eighteen in Kidderminster and district, and seven in other parts of the country. Kidderminster is thus, both in the number of manufacturers, and in its productive capacity, the most important centre of the trade.
There are about 4,500 looms of various kinds and widths in the whole trade, of which number Brussels and Wilton looms, Chenille, and Tapestry each contribute about 25 per cent., Axminster 17½ per cent., and Ingrain, hand-tufted, and sundry looms the balance.
The total number of employees in the trade before the war was 36,000, of which rather more than one-quarter were male. During the war the total was reduced to about 50 per cent.