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Curatorial RemarksNote
From email correspondence between Margaret Vetare and Ann McMullen of the National Museum of the American Indian in 2002, regarding VC.58.550 "This basket is very similar to one in the collection of the Torrington Historical Society in Torrington, Connecticut (Litchfield County) and I bet it is by the same person. In particular, the arrangement of swabbed wide and narrow splints is the same and the stamps are practically identical. I've always identified that one as Mahican, 1870 to 1880, and I'd say this one is too, although it may be a little earlier. Between Torrington and New Paltz is at least 100 miles, and this does seem extreme for an itinerant basketmaker, but they may have been made by someone who lived in between those two points.
The carved basal supports are not that uncommon for baskets made for hard work. Looking at the image of the bottom of the basket, I am also wondering about the extra splints that go in the opposite direction: did this basket once have handles? They might be visible at the rim.
For the paints for this basket, one is certainly Spanish brown done with a water or tempera medium: it would be much darker if it were done with oil. I think that the other color is indigo or bluing but it is very dark and might be mixed with black or it might be done with oil: hard to tell. On the Torrington basket, the Spanish brown looks like it is mixed with oil or something and is very dark (almost a purplish color), so I think this person did use oil sometimes.
Note that there are actually two different but very similar stamps used."Note Type
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Home Location: Historic Hudson Valley, Van Cortlandt Complex, Ferry House - Travelers' Chamber/SW