Name/Title
A Vt. Kitchen TunketEntry/Object ID
1991.46.4Description
Wooden diorama scene showing several people dancing in a kitchen. The room, or box, is carved with the label, "A VT. KITCHEN TUNKET". The walls of the diorama are carved to represent a simple interior, with bead board or planking on the lower half of the walls, and a four-paneled door at the center back. From right to left, the scene includes a seated woman, a dog and puppies, a shelf of accessories, a stove, a fiddler atop a table, a step caller, four dancing couples, a clock on a shelf, two standing men, lanterns on a shelf, and two seated women.Context
Made by Napoleon DeGuise in Waterbury, VT.Acquisition
Accession
1991.46Source or Donor
Tarbell, CorneliaAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Manufacturer
DeGuise, Napoleon F. (1894-1950)Date made
1945 - 1950Place
Town
WaterburyCounty
Washington CountyState/Province
VermontCountry
United States of AmericaContinent
North AmericaLexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
CarvingNomenclature Primary Object Term
SculptureNomenclature Class
ArtNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
DeGuise, Napoleon F. (1894-1950)Interpretative Labels
Label
Kitchen Tunket, 1935-1945
Napolean DeGuise (1894-1950)
Waterbury, Vermont
Pine
Gift of Cornelia Tarbell, #1991.46.4
“Tunket” is a regional term meaning party or informal get-together. This folk-art carving by Napoleon DeGuise depicts the joy that can be found around a warm stove with company, music and dancing. In the Canadian Maritimes, this type of event is still referred to as a “Kitchen Party.”
Napoleon DeGuise was born in Burlington in 1894 and began whittling in 1932, "to save the old ways...for the younger generation." A barber by trade, DeGuise whittled during his free time between customers in his Waterbury shop. He used local pine and carved with a small knife and his barber clippers. Though he gave many pieces away, his work traveled to craft shows around the country and was featured in The Saturday Evening Post in 1944 and Handicrafts of New England by Allen Eaton in 1949.