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 attributable to the unguent for the hair commonly used in the early 19th century,—Byron calls it " thine incomparable oil, Macassar." 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 .