Object Details
Maker
Marguerite S. Middleton
Festival Program
1996 FAF: The American South
Description
Stack of three coiled sewing baskets, labelled and described from bottom to top:
569.1A: A coiled sweetgrass, pine, and palmetto shallow basket that flares from the base into its widest dimension and then narrows. Pine needle coils on the top three rows provide a subtle design pattern, standing out by their subtly darker color. The handles are formed of sweetgrass bundles that are wrapped with palmetto to provide protection and added strength. The final coiled row at the top repeats the dimension of the one below, becoming a base to hold the lid.
569.1B: A flat round lid, three coil rows high, fits snuggly on the body of the basket. Viewed from the top is a triple row of pine needle coils (which are darker than the sweetgrass), providing a subtle design pattern.
569.2A: A similarly shaped basket body to the one below, occupying the middle position in the stack, but slightly smaller. This basket also has a decorative two coils of the darker pine needle bundles above the midway point.
569.2B: A flat, round lid with a finished 1" dia. hole at the top center.
569.3A & B: The top basket in the stack is the smallest diameter and is finished with a snug-fitting slightly convex lid that is finished at the top with a coiled topknot.
The overall view of the basket stack is of a rising tower of baskets, anchored with handles at the bottom with a raised topknot crowning the assembled baskets.
Technique
Coiled
Provenance
Made for sale in the Marketplace
Exhibition History
50 Years | 50 Objects: Storied Objects from the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. June, 2017. http://festival.si.edu/50objects
Culture
Gullah
Date
1996
Object number
569
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Containers & Serving Vessels
Decorative Objects
Medium
Grasses/Reeds (sweetgrass, palmetto fronds, pine needles)
Dimensions
Overall dimensions of the full stack: 12 in. H x 11 in. Dia. (including handles)
Individual dimensions:
569.1 A/B (bottom basket with lid): 3.5 in. H x 9.5 in. Dia. (excluding handles)
569.2 A/B (middle basket with lid): 3.5 in H x 9 in. Dia.
569.3 A/B (top basket with lid): 5 in H x 8 in. Dia.
Geography
Charleston, South Carolina, United States, North America
See more items in
Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Collection
Data Source
Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Link to Original Record
Record ID
cfch_569
