- Created by
- Unidentified
- Owned by
- Sinclair, Clayton, American
- Sinclair, Hazel, American
- Subject of
- Rock Rest Tourist Home, American, 1948 - 1976
- Date
- mid 20th century
- Medium
- pigment on raffia
- Dimensions
- H x W x D (9ab): 4 3/4 × 9 5/8 × 9 3/16 in. (12 × 24.5 × 23.3 cm)
- H x W x D (9a): 4 5/16 × 9 5/8 × 9 3/16 in. (11 × 24.5 × 23.3 cm)
- H x W x D (9b): 1 1/8 × 7 13/16 × 8 in. (2.8 × 19.8 × 20.3 cm)
- Description
- A coiled woven, round sewing basket (2011.12.9.1a) with a matching lid (2011.12.9.1b) from the Rock Rest Tourist Home. Both the basket and lid are primarily comprised of natural-colored fibers. The rounded, bowl-shaped basket is adorned with red, green, and black dyed fibers that are woven into repeating, stepped, zig-zag patterns throughout the main body of the bowl. The rim of the basket is wrapped with partially frayed red dyed fibers. One end of the rim end crosses over the other end and the protruding loose reeds splay over the front of the basket. The red fiber wrapped around the fibers of the basket rim at this end has significantly frayed and unraveled towards the loose end. The lid is flat and round and features repeating, stepped, zig-zag patterns throughout the top surface of the lid. The rim features three, stacked, woven coils which are the same diameter as the basket opening. The bottom coil fits snugly inside the basket and the top coil is slightly raised for lifting the lid. The top coil is wrapped with partially frayed and unraveled red dyed fibers. Three areas of the top coil of the rim have losses where the core of the coil is fully exposed.
- Place collected
- Kittery, York County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- The Rock Rest Tourist Home Collection
- Classification
- Tools and Equipment
- Furnishings, Housewares, and Décor
- Type
- sewing baskets
- Topic
- Black Enterprise
- Black interiors
- Business
- Craftsmanship
- Domestic life
- Ornamentation
- Recreation
- Segregation
- Travel
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, Inc.
- Object number
- 2011.12.9.1ab
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




