Description:
Small palm leaf basket with a rolled-out rim, which is possibly a product of the Deerfield Basket Makers. In 1899, Emma Lewis Coleman (1853-1942) organized a braiding bee in the Frary House ballroom for the purpose of teaching her neighbors how to make palm leaf baskets. The craft had its origins in early 19th-century New England when many women and girls braided Cuban palm leaf for the production of hats. This household industry proved significant for the economy of Franklin County, Massachusetts. A few of the attendees, such as Eleanor B. Stebbins (1875-1955) who had been "set at...regular 'stents' at braiding palm leaf after school," remembered earlier palm leaf basket weaving skills; others tried the craft for the first time. The Deerfield Basket Makers' palm leaf baskets generally feature neat, flat, tightly-woven surfaces constructed of undyed materials. Soon, the Deerfield Basket Makers expanded their choice of materials, and began fashioning a great variety of baskets from reeds, willow withes and Georgia pine needles. By 1906, there were between 50 and 75 Deerfield Basket Makers. The group contributed over 1,000 baskets to Deerfield's summer exhibition in 1908.
Label Text:
Basket Possibly Deerfield Basket Makers Deerfield, Massachusetts, c. 1920 Palm leaf Bequest of Mrs. Frederick Zappey, 1973.014
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+73.014 |
