Squared Egg Basket

Leona Waddell, Squared Egg Basket, 2011, white oak, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Martha G. Ware and Steven R. Cole, 2011.47.68
Copied Leona Waddell, Squared Egg Basket, 2011, white oak, 12 1⁄4 in. x 16 1⁄8 in. x 12 in. (31.1 x 41.1 x 30.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Martha G. Ware and Steven R. Cole, 2011.47.68

Artwork Details

Title
Squared Egg Basket
Artist
Date
2011
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
12 1⁄4 in. x 16 1⁄8 in. x 12 in. (31.1 x 41.1 x 30.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Martha G. Ware and Steven R. Cole
Mediums
Mediums Description
white oak
Classifications
Object Number
2011.47.68
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2011.47.68

Artwork Description

This egg basket by Leona Waddell has never held any eggs. Waddell learned to craft this traditional form as a child growing up in rural Hart County, Kentucky. In the 1940s, her family made white oak splint baskets for everyday use, like carrying eggs, and traded them for food and clothing. As Waddell grew more skilled, she brought her personal touch—the subtle bands of color shown here—to her family’s traditional style. Now celebrated as the best basket maker in Kentucky, Waddell creates baskets that are collected throughout the world.

This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022


Related Books

Baskets_500.jpg
A Measure of the Earth
A Measure of the Earth provides an window into the traditional basketry revival of the past fifty years. Nicholas Bell’s essay details the longstanding use of traditional fibers, such as black ash, white oak, willow, and sweetgrass and the perseverance of a select few to harvest these elements—the land itself—for the enrichment of daily life. Drawing on conversations with basketmakers from across the country and reproducing many of their documentary photographs, Bell offers an intimate glimpse of their lifeways, motivations, and hopes. Lavish illustrations of every basket in the exhibition convey the humble, tactile beauty of these functional vessels.