Why Do We Roll Out the 'Red Carpet'?

The earliest recorded reference to the red carpet comes from the play "Agamemnon," written by the Greek dramatist Aeschylus in the fifth century B.C. In this story, the eponymous king returns home from the Trojan War, and is greeted with a crimson pathway rolled out to honor his victories. This wasn’t an actual custom during Aeschylus’ time, however, and the playwright was possibly inspired by Near Eastern traditions. In the play, Agamemnon notes the unusual act and hesitates to tread on the carpet, fearing it might anger the gods—red was a divine color reserved for deities in ancient Greece.

Some historians contend Agamemnon’s carpet was actually purple, a color long associated with royalty because of its exclusivity and rarity. But purple and red hues can look similar, and the shade of purple reserved for royalty gradually took on a redder cast over time. Another naturally rare color, red also symbolized rank and prestige. Paintings of deities, saints and royalty from the Renaissance frequently feature red Ottoman carpets and rugs.

Harvested from the cochineal scale insect, scarlet dyes were especially prized given their difficulty to produce. The Aztecs and Mayans used cochineal (or carmine) dye in their textiles for the elite. Following Spain’s colonization of Mesoamerica, those dyes became a lucrative export by the 17th century.

In the United States, the first well-known use of a red carpet occurred in 1821, when a crimson walkway was laid out for President James Monroe in Georgetown, South Carolina.

The taste for red carpets grew in the following decades, helped by a significant decrease in the cost of cochineal dye. By the mid-19th century, synthetic dyes and automated carpet weaving made red carpets even more accessible. Despite this, red carpets maintained an association with power and prestige. In 1902, the New York Central Railroad ushered wealthy travelers onto their new 20th Century Limited train with the first official red carpet treatment.

Hollywood rolled out its first red carpet in 1922 at the Egyptian Theatre premiere of Robin Hood, starting a tradition.

The Academy Awards, which began in 1929, didn't adopt the red carpet tradition until 1961. Television coverage of red carpet arrivals started in 1964, but viewers had to wait until 1966 to see the spectacle broadcast in full color. Since the early 2000s, the show has used an exclusive burgundy-like shade for its carpet called Academy Red.

Hollywood stars started showing their personal fashion tastes on the red carpet in the 1970s. Its reputation as a runway was cemented after the 1994 Golden Globes, when pre-show host Joan Rivers famously asked attendees, “Who are you wearing?”

Today, the red carpet is a mainstay of celebrity happenings, such as award ceremonies, fundraising events like the Met Gala and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.