Oilcloth

Oilcloth is cloth made waterproof by coating, traditionally close-woven cotton or linen sealed with boiled linseed oil, later with vinyl. Before rubberized and plastic fabrics, it was the waterproof of the world: sailors' foul-weather gear, floorcloths that prefigured linoleum, satchels, and above all the wipe-clean kitchen tablecloth, printed in cheerful checks and florals that became its visual signature. The render shows that classic printed check on a glazed ground; the defining feature is the seal, not the weave beneath.

Illustration: a 1900s kitchen with a checked wipe-clean tablecloth, a kettle and enamel jug, a window over a sink, warm domestic light, no people — A 1900s kitchen with a checked wipe-clean tablecloth, a kettle and enamel jug, a window over a sink, warm domestic light, no people.

Named for

Plainly named: cloth treated with oil to make it waterproof.

Also known as

American cloth

Common questions

What is Oilcloth made of?: Oilcloth is cloth made waterproof by coating, traditionally close-woven cotton or linen sealed with boiled linseed oil, later with vinyl.
Is Oilcloth woven or printed?: The render shows that classic printed check on a glazed ground; the defining feature is the seal, not the weave beneath.
What is Oilcloth named after?: Plainly named: cloth treated with oil to make it waterproof.