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

Hotel du Pont Installs Nylon Fabrics for Economy of Wear and Care

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

Made by: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. Textile Fibers Department (originator); Public Relations Department (associated)
Date: 1948-07-13
Place: Wilmington, Delaware
Held by: Hagley Museum and Library
Collection: DuPont Company Textile Fibers Product Information photographs (Accession 1984.259), Series II. Textile reference files; Subseries E. Nylon. Folder titled: Nylon - 1948
Number: 1984259_010913_168
Size: 1 item (6 page images)
Themes: Nylon & synthetic fibers (DuPont), Woven carpet

View at the source Cited in chapter 6, note 8

Cite this source

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company. Textile Fibers Department (originator); Public Relations Department (associated). “Hotel du Pont Installs Nylon Fabrics for Economy of Wear and Care,” 1948-07-13. 1984259_010913_168, DuPont Company Textile Fibers Product Information photographs (Accession 1984.259), Series II. Textile reference files; Subseries E. Nylon. Folder titled: Nylon - 1948, Hagley Museum and Library. digital.hagley.org/1984259_010913_168.

Research notes

Press release describing the installation and benefits of furnishings in the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Delaware (Hagley summary). Its "Rugs and Carpets" section (read from Hagley's OCR text, page image 5) says: "A cut pile rug of burgundy spun nylon in Axminster weave was laid nine months ago in the Brandywine Room, one of the Hotel du Pont's restaurants. Plans for nylon floor coverings also include a Wilton weave carpet for the Grill Room in gray and white spiral pattern, and rugs for some of the guest rooms and elevator lobbies." Hagley also holds a near-identical later version, "Economy of Nylon Furnishings Shown In Use at Hotel" (1948-09-01, 1984259_010913_167). Why it matters: Nylon chapter: a spun-nylon Axminster rug in use by about October 1947 (nine months before this July 1948 release), so DuPont was trialling nylon carpet in its own hotel before Nye-Wait's "Splendante" (May 1948). Both are woven, not tufted. Found: Hagley Digital Archives, collection search "carpet" in DuPont Company Textile Fibers Product Information photographs, 2026-10-28.