This
fascinating piece of handcraft is hanging on the north
wall of the dining room of the Butterfield Cottage. It
is an wonderful example of “Tramp Art.”
“Tramp” is
considered a type of Folk Art. In American it was primarily
made from the end of the Civil War through the 1930’s.
It comes from carving and decorating methods which are
much older, originating
mostly from Germany and Scandinavia. “Trampen” |
by
Micki Towell |
probably
refers to the itinerant stages of Middle Ages craft apprenticeship.
Tramp Art was spread
by soldiers in the Civil War, and primarily
practiced where there was a plentiful and free supply of materials
such as cigar boxes and fruit crates. The cigar industry was “big
business.” From the 1862 to the 1932, revenue stamps
were wrapped around cigar boxes. The stamp was proof that tobacco
taxes were paid and collected. Once the box was opened and
the stamp broken, it was against the law to reuse the box for
cigar
sales. The cigar box provided crafters with an excellent and
inexpensive source of high quality small dimensions lumber.
The most common method of decoration is chip carving with
several layers built one on top of another. The Butterfield
Cottage mirror
frame is, however, a completely different from this. It is an
example of “Crown of Thorns” in which, in this case, the hand-carved
corners of cigar boxes are interlocked. The interlocking corners
form a joint called a knot. The knots are the building blocks of
the “Crown of Thorns.” They fit together without
glue. Our mirror has 3 layers.
Compare this folk art with quilting. Both are made from salvaged
materials, and cut into patterns of primarily geometric shapes
pieced together, and layered to create utilitarian objects. The
traditions were passed on orally.
Our mirror
frame was created by a local man, Levi Daniel Cauffman, Sr. It
was donated to the museum as a “puzzle mirror” by
his grandson, George Cauffman. It is more elaborate than any I
have found on the Internet. Be sure to take a close look at it
next time you are in!
