Velvet painting

[2] Marco Polo and others introduced black velvet paintings to Western Europe, and some of these early works still hang in the Vatican Museums.

[citation needed] The paintings are widely sold in rural America, and frequently have kitsch themes.

[citation needed] Edgar Leeteg (1904–1953), often considered the father of American velvet painting, did his best works between 1933 and 1953.

[5] A displaced Georgia farmboy, Doyle Harden, was the pioneer who created an enormous factory, where velvets were turned out by the thousands by artists sitting in studios.

[7][8] In Portland, Oregon, a museum devoted solely to velvet paintings, the Velveteria, operated from late 2005 to January 2010.