Hat Box Basket, ca. 1800-1850

Contributed by Abbe Museum

Description

This hatbox storage basket is made from ash and decorated with painted and stamped designs. It was made by Indians in southern New England. Similar baskets were made and sold in Maine.

The earliest recorded containers included birchbark baskets and twine woven bags. At some point, Native people began to weave sturdy work baskets of ash for their own use and for sale. By the early 1800s, basketmakers peddled hatboxes, trays, bowls, pack baskets and harvest baskets door-to-door in growing towns like Bangor. With the influx of settlers and industries such as logging, Native people lost control of their lands and self-determination. Basketmaking, woods work and guiding were means to make a living in an increasingly difficult world.

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About This Item

  • Title: Hat Box Basket, ca. 1800-1850
  • Creation Date: circa 1825
  • Subject Date: circa 1825
  • Location: USA
  • Media: Ash, dye
  • Dimensions: 25 cm x 33 cm
  • Local Code: AM373
  • Collection: Anne Molloy Howells Collection
  • Object Type: Physical Object

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For more information about this item, contact:

Abbe Museum
26 Mount Desert Street, PO Box 286, Bar Harbor, ME 04609
(207) 288-3519
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Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.

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