Bidspirit auction | Large Anamosa Penitentiary Folk Art

Large Anamosa Penitentiary Folk Art Basket - Large handmade folk or outsider art woven and painted prison basket from the Anamosa State Penitentiary, Iowa, ca. 1930s. Coated wire wrap and rattan welt. These baskets were purportedly a short-lived art form made exclusively by Native American inmates and sold at the prison store. The 'warp' or frame of the basket is wire while the weft is a fiber rattan woven horizontally. They were then painted with colorful motifs, sometimes with traditional Plains Indian symbols. Well-preserved examples such as the lot offered here retain leather decoration around the neck. Height: 22 in x diameter: 12 in. Condition: Wear consistent with age and use including heavy wear to the pigment throughout. No major breaks or losses to the caning. The leather is worn.