WHAT IS TRAMP ART?

UNIQUE OBJECTS REPRESENT AN UNUSUAL TYPE OF FOLK ART.

“my aunt plans to leave me a tramp-art jewelry box in her will, but I’m not sure I even like it,” an acquaintance told me, some years ago. “Was it really made by a tramp?” Undoubtedly not! Tramp art is the whimsical name given to a folk-art form that was popular ca. 1870 to 1940. Boxes, picture frames, religious artifacts, and decorative objects were chip-carved from cigar boxes and, less often, from packing crates. The wood was notch-carved with squares, triangles, and rectangles, then layered to created three-dimensional, boldly geometric pieces. Some are inlaid with carved hearts, leaves, or stars; others feature applied decoration made of “found” materials like bits of china or mirrored glass. Larger pieces can run to mantel clocks and tables with drawers. The name conjures images of carefree hobos whittling in the open doorway of a moving boxcar. Though no doubt there were itinerants who bartered wares for food or shelter, tramp art is both fragile and labor intensive—and thus not consistent with a nomadic lifestyle. According to long-time tramp-art dealer Clifford A. Wallach, the term was first mentioned in a 1959 article by Frances Lichten in Pennsylvania Folk Life magazine; she called it “tramp work.” Articles in the 1960s and later called it tramp art; dealers found the name enhanced the mystique of these largely undated and unsigned pieces.

Tramp art is relatively easy to find through websites like folkartisans.com, trampart.com, trocadero.com, and, of course, on such websites as eBay and Ruby Lane. A simple picture frame might go for $100 or less; a small, nicely decorated box for $250; prices for exceptional pieces exceed $2,000. No patterns have ever been found for tramp art. Each piece was individual. Regardless of provenance or rarity of materials, we appreciate tramp art for the skill, patience, and imagination it involved.