The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-15
COSTLY INDIAN BASKETS.
HIGH PRICES PAID NOW FOR TINE
WORK or PACIFIC COAST NATIVES.
Remarkable Growth Of the Fad Of Collecting
California Indian Baskets In This Country
and In Europe Artistic Taste aud Patient
Labor shown by squaws In Their Work.

and in Europe Artistic Taste aud Patient
Labor shown by squaws In Their Work
POMONA. Cal. July a grimy. frayed
basket about the size and shape Of a common
round foot bathtub. woven with dried grasses
by an Indian squaw several generations ago
was eagerly bought at San Diego the other
day for $3.50. Fiftcsi years ago a klamath
Indian in northern California sold the basket
for so cents. and seven years ago the same
basket was sold for $40. Then It progressed
m value at several sales by leaps Of $40 and
tso. IL is priced by tho Indian basket con-
noisseurs because Of its extraordinarily hne
weave aud its unique ooloring. No such oas-
ket has been made In thirty or more years,
and its counterpart Is unknown. 1t COM
pIetes a collection OF Indian baskets showing
the evolution OF textile art In an aboriginal
tribe among whom the art Of fine basket max
Ing Is practically extinct. Last year a col
lection Of som two hundred Indian baskets.
representing twenty-five tribes, residing all
the way from British Columbia to Yucatan.
Central America. was bought by the curator
Of the Royal Museum at Vienna for 1880.
Those and other similar facts have brought
for the first time the attention OF many per-
sons 10 the fast-growing value there is In col
iectons OF old Indian baskets.
A widespread vogue has sprung up for coli
lecting baskets from the Pacific Coast and
Southwestern tribes. The Eastern tourists
who spent last winter In California left many
thousands Of dollars out here in exchange
for Indian baskets. No other fad has been
taken I'D So vigorously by the people Of the
Pacific Coast, and few fads cost so much money
10 indulge. As for ones satisfying the ambi-
zion 10 form a comp,ete collection Of aborigi-
nal nne "t o"rAe.y ,n't 70 NM.
ueSuon, . ,a"no'n" % 80 -,
10 oousnt 10 s.'' -, y. ~" ~ TS.
q Aho"hhs oas"o' oo" oo '"
'"eap niouoin spo',He ~ -
Gnu eouiHe CIV " ,ia"u a"u 80 -
niauo sl"p,s '' NV m"" 49, U.s."
VI ufe sho,ese ui"e' ,.u,ai -
"o'ssoui ~ IVY yum" y -
oasAe'e wa ine'ioN I"'"u pI
y auu neAiu'o 'ua"u,' . ~,
pu' ooseu'e' ua' uo' "a'V i''N'u "~
"s"s', wv y" """' Us "o" . "
eo, ouon oosne.S % WV" u'vus" "ee
ano monene vi 'hnni' p"uonoe. i"y VIZ
,he sa'ase nlaAeis masterpieces "ho "eto
desisheo 70 pass d nenioo"'s rom sene'a-
non 70 sone'auo", ino' '"'' ho"aau,'
rom go W snIo eao"' anu A." seai uuu' W
ther value fhly orsiNly paSheU>' each SNOW
Ing a stage In tribal handicraft, make a fair
collection. hut to get them together some
49,. Ia. % ,ro,o, b,,ndrads ~ lila. ~ and
on7 "a' W uavci "uAuhou' VI hno y y"
down the Paclfc coast To the reservations,
TO do a heap Of talking and coxing among
...--..,, a.. IA ,rh.s ,na !. .nand
~ ennen'9 uo ~ ~ or,N'
a lot or money. Some Indian basket coilec
tors IN southern California have been adding
90 ,ha,r ,.,,Ia ,roosuros ,nr a do,o, ,.ors
~ '"'n eAIno '" 49, -. 80.
AZ an expenditure OF dlligent planning. hard
travel and small fortunes, and despair OF ever
,.,,in, to,s,bor a fairly oomnleta col,ao,iop
setonS ooseufe' ia"'s 'oinp'o'o 'o"oo.'n'
A score OF years ago there was no real COL
80. =, .hnridraI h,s,o.rr ri naonIa onr.d
"ens VI a"oi'si"ai oasAe''s no. peoi'e o"uou
were tossed on top shelves and IN out-oi-the-
pas,as oo... Thara sn.aa,s =, 30
racine coas'' ihsto were epcehhehS Va q
kets In some OF the museums and public IL
.varv town h,S a sow rss,dsn,s who nicred
c'e's n"h h"u Il ~" ,ee'ueh'' WIN '".Aeu
up at different times indian srass-woven oas-
.er.ca worrn,nsh;n Nr. ua,.n unm, rao,,.
.on, when she was in southern California get
ting material for her mission Indian story 'Ra.
the growing value of Indian basketry as the
highest expression Of savage art. Pacific
~@AAN AhSS.lA and AAAlF 40 AhA Ehl-
IIosHs !oo t,na. ~ ,ho ,nr,ra W - .m nuu,
Sect a ooliett,,Ih Va VIC AZ m9 " ua9ne'' ainohs
naedinn ota,. u.4GJJoi 81 nv ~ VIZ iVn.i sui
VIZ coue..'on' n.en ~ ~ " n,oiL IVA y oo!l.
pie.e were unueI My 'al'hi nia snu oIrs"n
museums, w hoisneuis III paNkenA sp.an1
UP. ehudVasaht pinoss d. ~ tet'all i.'m WAVES
were quo, anu ~ e'sIy faciro coa>t cp,h,iluI-
NY inuial pasSets pecaiie d hieaHS" nome
oeSoratlon. . au
No"aoays ihnian-Da,hpv collecllns II a.
most, a mania IN many communities on the
fdclnc coas,, N hunuIeus OF noines tne paT-
Tor. library ana chamber walls are draped WIN
Navajo piahKeIS' upon Wnicn are AItistlcAily
afranged indian oasKets from tripes IN laI-
lornla, arizona ana oregon, OF all shapes;
coiorihss' degrees Of aoorlalhai crime ana
yar'etles OF Weave, Inc sorry reinpants OF
me once great ulpes nave exchanRed the Deau-
tIul, specimens, OF theif ancestors choicest
handiwork LOT un pali5, glass Jars ana earthen
crocks' No matter, how battered. worn OF
days. II 10 but have, the SOFT browns or dull
6urnt redSthat only the old s9uaws OF California
knew now 70 produce, ana II us age - known
10 DO anywhere from 10 10 100 years. almost
any sum can be had from a connoisseur FOR II.
The Eastern tourists IN california every
tsrest In indian basket collections, and t,ney
carried the collecting passion back 10 thelr
homes. The zeal OF collectlng INDIAN baskets
has spread, 70 Europe. In all the larger cities
employed by the wealthy, basket collectors
IN the Eastern States and Europe, are always
IN the market for specimens OF aboriginal
Sasketry. Some OF the largest private col
iections OF baskets on this coast comprise .i2O
specimens. The Campbell collection IN Los
Angeles comprises l3S baskets and Is very com
plete, 1t has cost upward OF 5000. and, be-
sides, IL was made before the vogue made the
weaves 80 costly. Inc NOR" enthusiastic
collectors seldom nave dealings WIN me sellers