The Art and the Romance of Indian Basketry: Clark Field Collection, Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, 1964Field, Clark
History
The Art and the Romance of Indian Basketry: Clark Field Collection, Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, 1964
Field, Clark
Indian baskets -- North America
In 1958 the U. S. Indian Arts and Crafts Board, Department of the
Interior, Washington, D.C., rated this basket as probably the finest
specimen of basketry ever produced.
During her lifetime, _Datsolalee_ made only forty-six large scale
baskets. During the summer months she could often be found at the resort
area of Lake Tahoe, California, weaving miniature basketry which she
sold to tourists for small sums. In 1914, Mrs. Henrietta K. Burton, from
the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C., visited the artist’s
home in Carson City, Nevada. Mrs. Burton made numerous photographs of
_Datsolalee_ and her baskets for use in federal publications which dealt
with Indian basketry. Since that time these photos have appeared in many
other basketry publications.
Due to the artist’s reputation and ability, as well as the artistry and
craftsmanship of this specimen it is valued at $2000. It is doubtful
such a basket could ever again be produced—no weaver today shows ability
such as that of _Datsolalee_. Her baskets are sought by collectors
throughout the world.
In 1914, G. A. Steiner, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, purchased the
finest basket the artist had produced up to that time. It is forty-nine
inches in circumference and has more than eighty thousand stitches. It
was purchased for $1950, and added to the Carnegie Library Collection in
Pittsburgh (this was the highest price ever paid for a single Indian
basket).
Philbrook’s _Datsolalee_ basket has received international recognition.
It may be seen, in color, in _Indian Art in America_, by Frederick J.
Dockstader (New York Graphic Society, 1960) and in the magazine
_America_ (No. 67) which was distributed by the U. S. Information Agency
and printed in Russian.
(See Plate 17a)
UTILITARIAN—HISTORICAL
c. 1835
_Pennacook_—Northern Massachusetts
Case No. 4:
This basket is made of ash splints and is white on the interior. The
exterior is decorated with designs painted in native dyes using a
swabbing stick which has been pounded at one end to form a brush.
This earliest known type of painted-on decoration ceased about 1870. An
approximate dating for this specimen can be established from an April 2,
1835, copy of the _Boston Daily Courier_, which lines the basket lid.
(See Plate 2d)
UTILITARIAN—HISTORICAL
_Wampanoag_—Massachusetts
Case No. 4:
This very plain basket, constructed of brown ash splints, was
authenticated by the late Frank G. Speck, internationally known
University of Pennsylvania anthropologist, as being _Wampanoag_.
The _Wampanoags_, now extinct, were a branch of the Massachusetts
_Algonquins_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account