RARE JEROME AREA, SHENANDOAH CO., SHENANDOAH VALLEY OF VIRGINIA RIB-TYPE WOVEN-SPLINT BASKET, white oak, of extremely-fine tightly-ribbed radiating-rib kidney form, the squat body of the basket with deep lobed sides covers approximately half of the round of the handle; the handle itself is doubled in the body, tied together at the rim juncture with a thin white string under the wrapping, and joined with wooden pins where it overlaps itself through the body; the radiating ribs are inserted between the overlap of the spine, and the doubled rim, so that their ends are not visible; the rim joins the handle with a doubled cross wrapping and has a very distinctive top rib which overhangs the upper edge of the rim. Retains a sunned, dry natural surface. Fourth quarter 19th/first quarter 20th century. 7 3/4" HOA, 4" H rim, 8 5/8" x 8 1/4" rim.
Literature: For an example by the same maker(s), see Law and Taylor - Appalachian White Oak Basketmaking: Handing Down the Basket, p. 106, pl. 3.33.
Catalogue Note: The present example is part of a relatively small, but important, group of baskets which are arguably some of the finest made in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The currently-unknown maker's level of work is on par with famous makers such as Mary Causby or the Shelton Sisters, both of North Carolina, who were making baskets primarily for tourist consumption during the Craft Revival era of the late 19th and early 20th century. The Shenandoah Valley saw significant increases in demand for folk-made souvenirs during this era, primarily with the establishment of the Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, but also earlier, to a lesser degree, with a number of famous healing springs.
Most of the known examples that we have studied were collected in western Shenandoah County, mainly around a small unincorporated town called Jerome, which, interestingly, is only a few miles from Orkney Springs. Orkney Springs was founded in the mid-1770s and attracted a considerable number of visitors to its cold healing springs. By the 1870s, they were seeing a large influx of visitors and opened their new hotel building, The Virginia House, which boasted 175 additional bedrooms. There's a distinct possibility that these baskets were to be marketed towards the elite tourists visiting the springs. Although if they had been made for tourist consumption, one would assume their recovery history would be far more widespread.
Another odd aspect is that none of the known examples show evidence of heavy usage wear, with most being nearly as-made with no losses. Of course, many examples likely did not survive, but it is worth noting that none of those recorded show wear correlating with constant heavy domestic usage.
This group may be a window into a wider field of study, looking at the period usage of baskets not only as domestic tools, but also cherished by the families who owned them for the appreciation of their form over their function. We know this to be true of woven-splint key baskets, which, based on research by William H. McGuffin, existed contemporaneously with their better-known tooled-leather counterparts, and were generally kept as a symbolic memento of marriage rather than an object of daily use.
Research into the elevation of these quotidian domestic wares and efforts to better understand the roles baskets played in daily life in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is currently underway by Troy Pittenger.

Excellent condition with extremely minor surface wear/discoloration and no noted breaks or losses; surface moderately sun-faded.

From the collection of Benny Long, New Market, VA.