68/512

This hamper was brought to the Waterhouse family (Alfred Waterhouse designed the building in which the Museum is housed) by a nurse in the 1920s, where it was used as hand luggage or for picnics. It is a rectangular hamper with a slightly domed trunk cover. It is made from palm leaves sewn over split cane, and uses a form of coiling. It is almost certainly European in origin, and probably German.

1 basket [hamper]: palm; cane

Visiting researcher note, Tim Johnson (basketmaker), 20 June 2014 – The basket is made using a form of a coiling. It is more likely to be German in origin than Spanish., MERL 'Catalogue of baskets' form – 'NAME: BASKET (HAMPER) // Acc. No.: 68/512 // Group: PERSONAL USE. // Neg. no.: 60/9181 // Place of origin: Given Waterhouse. Yattendon. Prob. [Probably] Europe. Not English. // Period in use: c. 1920 // DESCRIPTION // Materials: Palm over cane. // Shape and construction: Rectangular. Trunk cover. Rod & nooses fastening. 2 handles lapped on front. Hinged with cane. Sides straight. The palm leaves are sewn over split cane.* cover slightly domed. // Dimensions: WT. [width of top] 11” L.T. [length of top] 18” D. [depth] basket 5 1/2” D. [depth] & lid. 9” // Use: Either as hand luggage or picnics. // Dialect names: // Distribution: // Additional notes: *for method see Duchesne. [Duchesne, R., Ferrand, H. & Thomas, J., ‘La Vannerie’. New Edition. Paris, J-B Bailliere et Fils, 1963] Vol. I. p.352–3.'

Basket, picnic, Basket, luggage

Plant fibre, rattan, Plant fibre

Wright, Dorothy (Recorder)