antimacassar

A separate covering for the back of a chair, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling of the permanent fabric.

The name is derived from macassar oil, an unguent for the hair commonly used in the early 19th century.

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