Posted 5 years ago
Baylissc23
(1 item)
I was fortunate to purchase the two pins from a very nice seller who provided me with background that the two pieces were purchases at an estate sale of a Japanese family in Sacramento, CA over twenty years ago. We are reasonably sure the pins are art pieces created by a Japanese American artist in one of the WW II US internment camp. Can someone help us find out more about the pins? - the pins are not signed, the safety pins are placed in the wood back with a wedge of wood and then covered with laquer. Many thanks.
Lovely bird designs, very realistic - the first reminds me of one of my fave birds, the lowly sparrow (except for the red, a house finch maybe). Sorry I do not know the background of these, but sympathize that their former owner was in a Japanese internment camp, which was an unfortunate happening primarily on the west coast during WW2. Very touching that the prisoners created such beauty in the midst of their misery, thank you for this thoughtful post and hope someone knows more about the birds :)
Are they whistles?
This site will help you date your brooches (Trombone fasteners).
https://www.rubylane.com/blog/categories/jewelry/dating-vintage-jewelry-by-clasp-fastenings/
Outstanding!! They're so incredibly detailed!
Let me qualify if the photos don't show that these are lttile wooden pins made from scrap wood...orange crates, etc. The Japanese American families were stripped of all their property and belongings and sent to the camps with nothing. They were given no work to do...and the US government later provided them with classes to occupy the adults time...Yes, the Japanese Americans who were sent there - for four years - were proud of the fact that they could create beauty out of scraps and virtually nothing - to find joy of expression in the middle of such conditions that left them with nothing...only a rare few ever received some type of compensation for their businesses and property that was seized and sold to other Americans. They lost everthing and remained citizens despite the fact that they were treated with fear, suspicion, and singled out for their ancestory during the war against the Japanese in the Pacific during World War II. These little birds are both historical and artistic ...