Series XIII. Annual Linoleum Pattern Books, 1921-1952

The invention of linoleum, a name coined from the Latin words "linum" (flax) and "oleum" (oil), was patented in England in 1860 by Frederik Walton, a rubber manufacturer, who founded the first linoleum company in 1864. By the end of the decade, linoleum was introduced to the United States, with the first US-based production beginning in 1874. Affordable, attractive, and resilient, as well as naturally bactericidal, flame and scratch-resistant, linoleum became a favorite surface material in American homes and hospitals, offering vibrant colors and myriad of creative patterns that included imitation marble, stone, mosaics, and faux carpeting designs. Lighter gauge linoleum was also created for use on walls, including Lincrusta (Lincrusta-Walton), Linowall (Armstrong), and Sealex Wall-Covering and Congowall (Congoleum).

By the 1930s, Armstrong was the largest manufacturer of linoleum in the America, offering consumers hundreds of patterns from which to choose. Linoleum manufacturers published "pattern books" to advertise their designs, and offered homemakers free booklets with illustrated advice for incorporating linoleum into their interior decorating schemes.

In the years following World War II, the introduction of cheaper PVC (vinyl) flooring brought the use of linoleum into sharp decline. Today, patterned linoleum is enjoying renewed popularity as a "green" recyclable flooring alternative that is environmentally friendly and biodegradable.