American Baskets: A Cultural History of a Traditional Domestic Art [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Robert Shaw (Author), Ken Burris (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2000

American Baskets is the first book to offer a comprehensive overview of an art form that is ten thousand years old. Basketmaking is the most basic of all crafts in its methods and material, and its development reflects specifically local traditions. Here, author Robert Shaw ("the information source on major U.S. crafts" -- Booklist) examines the craft's history and artistry throughout the country and through various periods.

Once among the most common of household objects, handmade baskets have a cachet that has never been equaled. Despite the fact that the American artisan basket has all but disappeared from daily use (the baskets that we have in our homes today are either made from synthetic materials, often by machine, or imported from overseas where labor is cheap), the genuine example of a handcrafted basket is highly prized as a beautiful and valuable object. Baskets are fixtures in the popular style of country decorating, and collectors search out fine antiques as well as outstanding contemporary basket creations. American Baskets celebrates the treasures of yesterday while exploring the work of many of the fine artists who labor over the art form today.

Beautifully photographed and exhaustively researched, American Baskets analyzes the influences of both Native Americans and early settlers, including the Aleuts and Hopi as well as the Quakers and Pennsylvania Dutch. The significant contributions of early African-American East Coast culture and the rich heritage of rural Appalachia are also discussed. Paying special attention to the collectible aspect of the American basket, Robert Shaw investigates every type of basket indigenous to this country: ash splint farm baskets, rattan "lightship" baskets, rye straw baskets, African-American rush baskets, and more. A resource guide listing museums that house basket exhibits, antiques dealers and auction houses that sell high-quality pieces, and traditional basket artisans and organizations completes the elegant package.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Whether tramping through the woods of Appalachia in search of the straightest-grained white oak or wading through the marshes of the Carolina low country gathering bulrush, the basket maker is intimately bound to nature and the raw materials of her craft. Few traditional handcrafts still in practice today, adds Robert Shaw in American Baskets, are so dependent upon the maker's skill with her hands--only the simplest tools, if any, are needed.

Understanding the history and cultural origins of basket-making techniques is the first step in a collector's or an enthusiast's appreciation of fine vintage or contemporary baskets, and Shaw's book, an introduction to the major American basketry traditions, is a good place to start reading. Deftly weaving together cultural, religious, and personal histories and geographic and environmental influences on the craft, Shaw traces the development of the many distinct native traditions: the Aleuts of Alaska; the Cherokees; the so-called immigrant traditions of New England; the Shakers; the Germans of the Taconic Mountains in New York; traditions in Nantucket, Pennsylvania, and Appalachia; and the African American communities of the coastal Southeast. Simple, full-color photographs of some of the finest specimens in American collections are accompanied by intelligent, thorough captions listing the artisan (when known), date and place of origin, various materials and dyes used, dimensions, and notes on the basket's intended or possible uses.

Rather than muddying the often quite compelling stories of the earliest American basket makers and their descendants, information aimed at collectors is gathered into separate sections that provide overviews of the market conditions for various styles of baskets and how they've changed in the last century or so, what to look for and snap up at auctions--and what to avoid. Caring for and displaying fine baskets is covered in the book's brief final chapter. --Liana Fredley

From the Inside Flap

American Baskets is the first book to offer a comprehensive overview of an art form that is ten thousand years old. Basketmaking is the most basic of all crafts in its methods and material, and its development reflects specifically local traditions. Here, author Robert Shaw ("the information source on major U.S. crafts" -- Booklist) examines the craft's history and artistry throughout the country and through various periods.

Once among the most common of household objects, handmade baskets have a cachet that has never been equaled. Despite the fact that the American artisan basket has all but disappeared from daily use (the baskets that we have in our homes today are either made from synthetic materials, often by machine, or imported from overseas where labor is cheap), the genuine example of a handcrafted basket is highly prized as a beautiful and valuable object. Baskets are fixtures in the popular style of country decorating, and collectors search out fine antiques as well as outstanding contemporary basket creations. American Baskets celebrates the treasures of yesterday while exploring the work of many of the fine artists who labor over the art form today.

Beautifully photographed and exhaustively researched, American Baskets analyzes the influences of both Native Americans and early settlers, including the Aleuts and Hopi as well as the Quakers and Pennsylvania Dutch. The significant contributions of early African-American East Coast culture and the rich heritage of rural Appalachia are also discussed. Paying special attention to the collectible aspect of the American basket, Robert Shaw investigates every type of basket indigenous to this country: ash splint farm baskets, rattan "lightship" baskets, rye straw baskets, African-American rush baskets, and more. A resource guide listing museums that house basket exhibits, antiques dealers and auction houses that sell high-quality pieces, and traditional basket artisans and organizations completes the elegant package.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1st edition (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609603337
• ISBN-13: 978-0609603338
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,569,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Shaw is a gifted communicator who lectures, writes, curates, and consults on many aspects of American folk arts and crafts. His many critically acclaimed books include American Quilts: The Democratic Art, Hand Made, Hand Played: The Art and Craft of Contemporary Guitars, The Art Quilt, America's Traditional Crafts, and American Baskets. He has curated exhibitions at major museums and expositions in the United States, Europe, and Japan, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival.; contributed to numerous books and exhibition catalogs; written articles for The Magazine Antiques, Early American Life, Sports Afield, Fiber Arts, and other periodicals; and served as a consultant to museums, private collectors, and Sotheby's auction house. His web sites are www.roberteshaw.com and www.artofthequilt.com.