Description:
Rafia and reed basket with a woven design of stylized butterflies in brown and black, which has a printed Deerfield Industries tag affixed by raffia reading “DEERFIELD INDUSTRIES” on one side, and on the reverse in ink, “$2.75 / Butterfly Basket Designed + Made / by / Sarah E. Belcher.” Arts and Crafts artisans were urged to turn to nature for both design inspiration and for their materials. This raffia basket illustrates how the Pocumtuck Basket Makers incorporated the natural world into their work. Constructed of raffia fibers coiled around a reed support, the artisan Sarah Belcher chose soft earth-toned hues for the work's few touches of color. The work of the Pocumtuck Basket Makers is distinguished from that of the Deerfield Baskets Makers by its emphasis on decorative detail. At this time nothing is known about Sarah E. Belcher and her involvement in the Pocumtuck Basket Makers. Although all of Deerfield, Massachusetts' artisans would continue to exhibit together through the First World War, when, in 1906, the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework split from the town's Society of Arts and Crafts (founded in 1901) the latter organization was renamed the Society of Deerfield Industries. The Society of Deerfield Industries was more democratically-based than the highly-managed Blue and White Society. While Deerfield Industries' artisans exhibited together, and while their juried work shared a seal of authentication, the fact that each artisan was autonomous and ultimately responsible for his or her own work was a point often mentioned in the organization's literature. The Society of Deerfield Industries seal was designed by its longtime president and leading light, Madeline Yale Wynne. Its artisans executed a variety of crafts including basketry, pottery, weaving, metal, and woodwork. The Society of Deerfield Industries remained in existence until 1941 when the outset of America's military involvement in the Second World War brought an end to the organization.
Label Text:
Basket, Sarah E. Belcher, Pocumtuck Basket Makers, Deerfield, Massachusetts, c. 1915. Paper label attached reads, “DEERFIELD INDUSTRIES” on one side, and on the reverse, “$2.75/Butterfly Basket/Designed + Made/by/Sarah E. Belcher.” Reed and raffia. Museum Collections Fund, 2013.4
Arts and Crafts artisans were urged to turn to nature for both design inspiration and their materials. This raffia basket illustrates how the Pocumtuck Basket Makers incorporated the natural world into their work. Constructed of raffia fibers coiled around a reed support, Sarah Belcher chose soft earth-toned hues for the basket's stylized black and brown butterflies. The Pocumtuck Basket Makers distinguished their work from that of the Deerfield Baskets Makers by their emphasis on decorative detail.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2013.4 |
