Prototype. Chapter text drafted from the research notes and not yet checked at the archives. Images awaiting permission are marked.

Nylon carpeting [Nye-Wait "Splendante" and "Cirque" carpet]

Image · not yet checked at the source · Image permission pending

Made by: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (product information photograph); carpet by the Nye-Wait Company
Date: 1955 (year approximate)
Held by: Hagley Museum and Library
Collection: DuPont Company Product Information photographs (Accession 1972.341), Series V. Man made fibers, Subseries C. Nylon
Number: 1972341_1333
Size: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 8 x 10 in. or smaller
Themes: Nylon & synthetic fibers (DuPont), Woven carpet

View at the source Cited in chapter 6, note 11

Cite this source

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company (product information photograph); carpet by the Nye-Wait Company. “Nylon carpeting [Nye-Wait ‘Splendante’ and ‘Cirque’ carpet],” 1955 (year approximate). 1972341_1333, DuPont Company Product Information photographs (Accession 1972.341), Series V. Man made fibers, Subseries C. Nylon, Hagley Museum and Library. digital.hagley.org/1972341_1333.

Research notes

Photograph with caption. Hagley summary: "Nylon carpeting, paradoxically the most luxurious yet in terms of wear life and upkeep, the most economical ever made, was shown at a press meeting held recently in New York by the Nye-Wait Company. Almost 100 different samples were displayed were all available nationally, indicating rapid consumer acceptance since introduction five years ago." The rug is "woven to order in dual pile heights" and "combines two qualities, Splendante woven into the Celtic design for the center and Cirque for the plain border." Why it matters: Nylon chapter: shows woven nylon carpet in the mid-1950s, before BCF; the caption dates nylon carpeting's introduction to about five years earlier (compare the 1948 Splendante press release, 1984259_010913_162). Date is Hagley's approximation. Found: Hagley Digital Archives, search "nylon carpet", 2026-10-28.