1964.0793 Basket, view 1
  • 1964.0793 Basket, view 1
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Basket (Picnic basket)

  • Category:

    Wood (other)

  • Creator (Role):

    Tomah Joseph (Maker)

  • Place of Origin:

    Maine, United States, North America

  • Date:

    1900-1930

  • Materials:

    Wood; Iron; Paint; Birch; Paper; Cedar; Alder

  • Museum Object Number:

    1964.0793


  • Complete Details



Object Number

1964.0793

Object Name

Basket (Picnic basket)

Category

Wood (other)

Credit Line/Donor

Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont

Creator (Role)

Tomah Joseph (Maker)

Place of Origin

Maine, United States, North America

Origin Notes

Tribal affiliation for maker is Passamaquoddy culture.

Date

1900-1930

Mark or Signature or Inscription or Label

1. Signature; Short end; Small owl ideogram

Subjects

Native American; Sporting pictures; Indigenous peoples

Materials

Wood; Iron; Paint; Birch; Paper; Cedar; Alder

Dimensions (inches)

16 (H) , 15 (L) , 9.37 (D)

Dimensions (centimeters)

40.64 (H) , 38.1 (L) , 23.81 (D)

Measurement Notes

Overall height without handle: 7 7/8"

Object Description

Web - 03/01/2011

This picnic basket (lids now lost) is made from birchbark with the bark's inner reddish brown surface used for the basket's exterior. The inner bark has scratched designs including one humorous scene on a long side showing a hunter being hunted by his prey: deer have stolen his bow and treed him. The small owl scratched into one short end is a version of the ideogram used by Maine's best-known birchbark artist, Tomah Joseph. Joseph, a Passamaquoddy chief, worked as a recreational guide for tourists who began flocking to Maine in the 1910s and 20s. Joseph's most famous client was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a distant relative of Henry Francis du Pont who also summered in Maine.