Folk Art, Primitives & Fishing Decoys

How wonderful is it to show off something made by your dad? or display a craft item created by your mom or a close friend? or that little boat you made when you were twelve? Folk art goes as far back as mankind. Toys, dolls, games and images crafted for entertainment, worship, memories and beauty by common folk are the core of many cultures. The American Folk Art Museum in New York City has some great collections and background on this genre.

At Vintages, we occasionally get the opportunity to acquire some pretty wonderful collections. Earlier this year we obtained a whimsical group of folk art dolls.
These little beauties range in price from $29 to $49 each. Some pictured have already been sold.
This past week we got a collection of wonderful, colorful ice fishing decoys, plus several dolls and a couple of Santos figures.

Ice fishing decoys appear to be an American invention, used by the Native American Indians hundreds of years ago. The idea of attracting a fish to a hole in the ice and spearing it for dinner is not just American, but the use of a fish or critter effigy to attract the fish is uniquely American. While there are commercial examples of these lures and decoys, it is the hand carved and painted variety that attracts collectors. Many of these rise to the level of objects of art ... folk art for sure. (Click this link for additional information on Fish Decoys.) We have listed a collection of these online and have them in the shop.
Ice fishing lures from the early to mid-1900s. Prices range from $125 to $195 each.
Here are a couple of Black Americana folk art dolls we have. One is a dancer or jigger doll. A kind of puppet that moves and dances when jiggled from a string or spring or moved around on a stick. The other is a wonderful little black man doll, decked out in a cloth outfit including a bow tie and suspenders.
Black Americana Folk Art Dolls ($295 each)
These two bunny rabbits are candy containers! Wonderful little gifts from an Easter long ago.
Candy container c1930 Boy in Bunny Costume ($395.00)
German Bunny Candy Container c1920 with Feather Trim ($495.00)
We have posted about some of the reproduction Santos figures we have in stock -- these are handmade and wonderful. Now we have two superb antique Santos statues from the 19th century.
Antique 19th century Santos figures. L: Padre ($795); R: Angel ($695)
We love folk art and always have some nice examples. Come on in and check out our selection ... or look at the folk art on our online site.

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