Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-01-01
THE GERMAN LOVE FOR BASKETS
AS Displayed on the East Side of New
York.


New York Times-Baskets are a
specially of the East side, more partic-
ularly of the German quarter. 1t is
the ambition of every woman in the
quarter to have handsome and COM
modious market basket, and you may
see hundreds of such baskets on the
arms of men and women in Avenue A
and the neighboring streets. Basket
shops are more numerous in the Ger
man quarter than anywhere else in
town, and the baskets bought and
sold there are the very best to be had
Ordinary willow and split baskets sold
in the quarter are made in this coun-
try, many of them right in the shops
where they are exhibited for sale; but
the finer baskets are mostly imported
from Germany. These baskets are
made of fine straw, sea grass, shred
ded palm leaf, and some other mater
ials. The best of them are handsome
N form and attractive in coloring In
fact, there is evidently an excellent
tradition among the German basket
makers, for an Informed or crudely
colored basket is rarely seen among
the imported wares. Those baskets
made of fine straw, together with sea
ing. The colors are pale green and
warm yellow. In form the baskets
are not quite rectangular, with double
lids, and strong handles. They look
soft and pliable, but are rigid and
strong. Sometimes the handle is
strengthened with a strap of steel.
The lids are secured by a catch of
straw strongly woven, or sometimes a
hook of metal
Handsome OF all the imported bas-
kets are those of shredded palm leaf.
They are rectangular, roomy, beauti-
fully woven with little triangular in
terstices, ivory white in color, and ex-
| tremely strong and rigid The lids, of
the same material, are securely
hinged and provided with metallic
catches. These baskets are in two or
three sizes, of which the largest is big
enough for a market basket Other
baskets from Germany are fishing
| baskets big enough for a hearty lunch
| con and the necessary liquid refresh
ments, baskets with domed lids suit
able for carrying light bulky articles,
work baskets for German housewives,
gayly decorated children's lunch bas-
kets and variety of variously formed
baskets for special uses. Few of the
baskets are merely ornamental; most
Il n loci cd 10 Nc,,I
purpose, and none is so delicately
wrought that it will not long serve the
| user.
The German baskets are relatively
cheap, being made largely by women,
| children and superannuated men,
whose time would be otherwise al
most valueless. A German basket
that sells here for $3.50, the price of
| the finest imported baskets, could not
| be made in New York for half as much
again. They are all handmade, and
| they cannot be profitably produced in
| this country until machinery can be
! applied to the manufacture. The Ger
man housewife of the quarter counts
her baskets as among her treasures.
| She buys only the best, and has them
| for all uses, but they last her half a
lifetime, and are repaired again and
again by the skillful basket weavers
of the quarter. These beautiful bas,
| kets are handled with the utmost
| care, and are not loaded with what
they are not intended to carry, and
kept scrupulously clean and dry.