Posted 1 year ago
Laurabelle61
(76 items)
When I wake up in the morning, and my eyes start to adjust to the light I take in the view of my much loved collection of Atlantic Canada baskets, or as I have referred to them my “Mi'kmaq“ baskets. My own little rainbow of color. The old exposed beams in my century farmhouse, seemed the perfect spot to display them (for our viewing) the room is well ventilated, and they do not see direct sunlight, hopefully preserving the colours. They do however, require a light dusting, which I realize upon taking this picture is long overdue. If you zoom in, please excuse the dust bunnies! One of my most enjoyed collections
Can you give us some history and how you tell they are these specific baskets. Are they marked in any way or a specific type of construction?
Majority of these baskets I purchased between 25 and 35 years ago. Some at country auctions and others at antique shops. I am by no means an expert as I purchased for my own enjoyment not to resell. At the time I purchased this style basket was always referred to as a Micmac basket. I always look for signs of age ie: wear and tear, color fading, oxidization on or around nails if present, overall weight and quality /durability(these were working baskets and not for decor so they had to be strong) and the handles were usually carved out of one piece and sometimes notched and tightly woven into the piece. I’ve never tried to date them but I’m sure if you Google enough, you will find an explanation of how to do that. They were not new when I bought them. I expect they are very vintage bordering on antique( somewhat like myself) I couldn’t say for sure which people made them, but they were all purchased in Nova Scotia with the exception of one from New Brunswick . It’s likely possible to pinpoint an area/maker of the basket as materials, designs/patterns/colors can probably be attributed to certain tribes/areas . It requires time and research. Hope this helps.
Once I actually dust them, I will post a few close-ups of my favourites
Thank you very interesting..
Nicely displayed on those beautiful beams!