Latex foam

MFA Acc. #: 2001.655.1

Description

A light spongy rubber used for mattresses, cushions and insulation. Foam rubber is made by mechanically whipping air into the rubber latex prior to curing. Foam rubber turns yellow and becomes powdery when exposed to sunlight.

Synonyms and Related Terms

foamed rubber; caoutchouc mousse (Fr.); schuimrubber (Ned);

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 754

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000