Frame is beautiful, but not so-called ‘tramp art’
Q: I believe this frame to be tramp art, and while researching this 19-inch-by-14-inch frame, I discovered that Helainewas a collector and appreciator of this kind of art. I live in Canada and found this piece in a secondhand store for $10. What can you tellme about it?
A: The term “tramp art” is amisnomer if there ever was one. The term conjures up images fromthe late 19th to the early 20th centuries of unshaven men dressed in tattered and patched clothing, riding the rails in or under railroad boxcars, and eating beans out of a can over an open fire. These individualswere pejoratively called “tramps” or “hobos” or more euphemistically “forgotten men.”
In short, tramp artwas not made by tramps. Now thatwe have disposed of the inappropriate name, an explanation of what tramp art actually is might be in order. The term “tramp art” usually refers to objects that have been constructed with small panels made fromrecycled cigar boxes or packing crates.
These thinwooden segments taken from the boxes and crateswere chip carved and layered to form – for the most part— decorative containers and picture frames in various sizes and shapes. Itwas not widely known until Helaine’s book on the subject came out in 1976 that full-scale furniture wasmade using this technique aswell. This included a roll-top desk, floor lamps, tables, a chaise lounge, full sized cupboards, bed frames and
even a radio cabinet.
The fabrication of socalled “tramp art” required the dexterity of a skilled craftsman with a good sense of design and threedimensionality. Making these objects both large and smallwas not an activity conducive for a hobo riding the rails hither and yon with few possessions — and probably fewer artistic skills.
Turning to the frame in question, it is a beautifully handcarved piece with various leaf shapes, crosses, flowers, diamonds, X’s and fleur-de-lis— but there is no layering of wooden panels thatwould make this piece an example of “tramp art.” Its shape is a typical late Victorian crisscross design (sometimes called a “cross corner” frame) and the decoration does suggest a French Canadian origin.
The relief-carved decoration appears to show maple and yellowbirch leaves (yellowbirch is the
official tree of Quebec) along with Quebec’s cross and fleur-de-lis symbols. The rest just seem to be motifs that appealed to the folk artist who created this very attractive piece.
We feel this piecewas probably carved sometime between about 1885 and 1910. In an antiques shop run by a knowledgeable dealer, the readerwould probably have had to pay somewhere between $100 to $150 to own this interesting frame.
Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson have written a number of books on antiques. Do you have an item you’d like to know more about? Contact them at Joe Rosson, 2504 SeymourAve., Knoxville, TN37917, or email them at treasures@knology.net. If you’d like your question to be considered for their column, include a high-resolution photo of the subject, which must be in focus, with your inquiry.