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Tramp Art Frames
Tramp art, a whittling craft, is a form of American folk art popular from the 1870s to the end of the 1930s. It was made mostly from cigar boxes and fruit crates and constructed with simple tools, such as pocketknives. Thin pieces of scrap wood were notched or chip-carved around the edges, then layered into intricate relief designs, often with obsessive detail.
The name “tramp art” suggests that hobos or tramps made the pieces, but tramp-art objects were actually produced as home-based craft comparable to other crafts like quilting. No patterns were available to aid in the construction of tramp art—it was purely a testament to the individual’s skill and imagination.
One of the most common forms of tramp art is the frame, which was used to hold a mirror or an illustration, print, photograph, or other work of art. In most cases, the size of a frame was dictated by the number of cigar boxes, laid end to end, that were used to construct its base. Once the basic size was determined, the frame could expand to great lengths and depths.
Although the primary use of a frame was to protect and support its contents, elaborate tramp art frames certainly often outshone the pictures or documents they surrounded. Frames were typically stained and varnished. More unusual examples were painted with primary colors, silver, or gold, or decorated with bits of broken china, brass, or velvet. The reverse side of a tramp art frame might show remnants of its cigar box origin, impressed letters, or parts of paper advertisements, which can help to date the piece.
For today’s collectors, the appeal of tramp art is similar to the appeal it had when it was first crafted: These are wonderfully whimsical, useful objects made of recycled materials and constructed by hand with simple tools. As with most antique objects, condition dictates price. An engraved name or date raises the value of a piece.
The name “tramp art” suggests that hobos or tramps made the pieces, but tramp-art objects were actually produced as home-based craft comparable to other crafts like quilting. No patterns were available to aid in the construction of tramp art—it was purely a testament to the individual’s skill and imagination.
One of the most common forms of tramp art is the frame, which was used to hold a mirror or an illustration, print, photograph, or other work of art. In most cases, the size of a frame was dictated by the number of cigar boxes, laid end to end, that were used to construct its base. Once the basic size was determined, the frame could expand to great lengths and depths.
Although the primary use of a frame was to protect and support its contents, elaborate tramp art frames certainly often outshone the pictures or documents they surrounded. Frames were typically stained and varnished. More unusual examples were painted with primary colors, silver, or gold, or decorated with bits of broken china, brass, or velvet. The reverse side of a tramp art frame might show remnants of its cigar box origin, impressed letters, or parts of paper advertisements, which can help to date the piece.
For today’s collectors, the appeal of tramp art is similar to the appeal it had when it was first crafted: These are wonderfully whimsical, useful objects made of recycled materials and constructed by hand with simple tools. As with most antique objects, condition dictates price. An engraved name or date raises the value of a piece.
Latest page update: made by kjacobso
, Jun 19 2007, 2:02 PM EDT
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Edited by kjacobso
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