Where does the word antimacassar come from. Has it religious connotations?

Question

I know it is cloth used to cover the back or arm of a chair or sofa, but what a strange name.

Answer 1

An antimacassar is a small cloth placed over the backs or arms of chairs, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling of the permanent fabric.

The name is attributable to the unguent for the hair commonly used in the early 19th century, macassar oil— the poet Byron called it, "thine incomparable oil, Macassar."

The fashion for oiled hair became so widespread in Edwardian and Victorian period that housewives began to cover the arms and backs of their chairs with washable cloths to preserve the fabric coverings from being spoilt. Around 1850, these started to be known as antimacassars. They were also installed in theatres, from 1865.

They came to have elaborate patterns, often in matching sets for the various items of parlour furniture; they were either made at home using a variety of techniques such as crochet or tatting, or bought from shops.

The original antimacassar was almost invariably made of white crochet-work, very stiff, hard, and uncomfortable, but in the third quarter of the 19th century it became simpler and less inartistic, and was made of soft coloured stuffs, usually worked with a simple pattern in tinted wools or silk.

By the beginning of the 20th century, antimacassars had become so associated in peoples’ minds with the Victorian period that the word briefly became a figurative term for it.

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References

Answer 2

Macassar is the name of an unguent for hair made by Rowlands and Sons, containing ingredients from Macassar, a district in Celebes. Antimacassar protects the chair or sofa from this.

Answer 3

It was used by Victorians etc. as a means of protecting the chair back, from the macassar oil that men used on their hair. An early Brylcreem, if you remember that muck!

Answer 4

Macassar was a Victorian version of hair gel and the covers were 'anti' the oil -ie to keep it off the upholstery

Answer 5

In the old days, before Brylcreem, men used macassar oil on their hair. The antimacassar was invented to keep the furniture clean.

Answer 6

As far as I know Macassar was some sort of hair oil that men used to use, and an anti-macassar was to protect chairs from it.

Read that somewhere.

Answer 7

connotations are the individual feelings a word had for a person, for example christmas has happy connotations for myself but may have negative connotations for someone else. So whatever this word means to you is the answer.

Answer 8

Gee whiz three of us that listen to the same radio programme
ye gods that must be a record.....well my better half listens more than I do but Ive been deafened by her nagging.

Answer 9

No, "macassar" is the stuff people used to slick their hair back with. an "anti-macassar" prevents it from getting all over everything.