The Noble Antimacassar

I’m sure that most of you know what an antimacassar looks like, but never knew the name of it. Few people know what they are called or what they are for. To start off, this is an example of an antimacassar:

That’s right. That doily sitting on top of your grandma’s wingback chair is an antimacassar. The original antimacassar would have been of stiff, tightly woven crochet-work that was mass-produced and easily washable.  This is because it was used to protect the upholstery behind one’s head from the oil that was used in almost every man’s hair from the early 19^th to early 20^th century, called macassar oil.  It was made primarily of coconut or palm oil, mixed with ylang-ylang oil for fragrance.  It made the hair look very greasy, but that was the fashion.  

Incidentally, that piece of cloth on the back of a sailor’s uniform is also called an antimacassar or jumper flap, and its function was also to keep the oil off of the uniform.  This was especially helpful when the sailor would wear his hair in a short, oiled-down pony tail and not be able to wash for weeks at a time.

Even though macassar oil is no longer de rigueur, antimacassars can still be seen on the backs of airplane and train seats in a more simple style. 

There you have it – the noble antimacassar.  Personally, I hope that the greasy goo never comes into fashion again, but you never know…

Antimacassars: don't let Pauly D of Jersey Shore sit in your chairs without one.

[Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4]