A second-quarter 20th century American Hooked area rug, with a modern allover tile pattern of alternating geometric designs and floral sprays in ivory, pale pinks, and greens within a thin solid border. American Rugs as Important Folk Art in 20th Century. It wasn’t until the dawn of the 20th century that the craft of making American rugs started to be considered important folk art and spread all over the country, becoming one of the favorite pastimes, as well as the object of interest of renowned artists. Certainly, classic carpets have also quite early begun to be produced in the United States. The vogue for floor coverings came around 1830 when factories started making machine-woven American hooked wool rugs for the rich and wealthy. However, the hooked carpets and rag rags, along with the creations by Native Americans, such as Navajo antique area rugs, are today synonymous with American vintage-looking rugs rather than any other type.