Antimacassar

An antimacassar /ˌæntɪməˈkæsər/ is a small cloth placed over the backs or arms of chairs, or the head or cushions of a sofa, to prevent soiling of the permanent fabric underneath.

[1] The name also refers to the cloth flap 'collar' on a sailor's shirt or top, used to keep macassar oil off the uniform[citation needed].

Macassar oil was an unguent for the hair commonly used by men in the early 19th century and reputed to have been manufactured from ingredients purchased in the port of Makassar in the Dutch East Indies.

They came to have elaborate patterns, often in matching sets for the various items of parlor furniture; they were either made at home using a variety of techniques such as crochet or tatting or purchased.

[2] By the beginning of the 20th century, antimacassars had become so associated in people's minds with the Victorian period that the word briefly became a figurative term for it.