Tramp Art 

Tramp art defines folk art in its purest sense. It is said that Tramp Art was the work of hobos traveling the countryside and bartering fancifully made boxes and frames for food and lodging.  Knowledge was limited on this and was supplemented by hearsay and stories passed from antique dealer to dealer. Though it was popular around 1870 through the 1940s, it started to decline in production. Tramp Art has been clouded in misconceptions and was only identified as an art form in 1959. Helaine Fendelman is best known for bringing Tramp Art to the forefront again with curating a ground breaking exhibition in 1975 at the Museum of American Folk Art.  Tramp Art is a woodworking style where small pieces of wood, primarily from discarded cigar boxes and shipping crates, are whittled into layers of geometric patterns with the outside edges of each layer notch-carved.  It is a vision of creating art out of society’s discards.  The tools used were simple such as a pocketknife, a small saw, and sometimes a file. Tramp art was constructed in a way similar to how a bricklayer or mason would assemble a wall. The artists made their sculptures in a simple and understandable way not defined by the structure or pre-established regimen.  They were inspired by nature and more significantly, by their own inner emotions.  Tramp art is an expression of an individual’s sense of oneself and one’s surroundings and the ability to transform discarded materials into useful and purposeful art. ⁸

Also included in this category are examples of memory jugs and Trench art.  In my collection are WWI artillery shells that have been embossed/etched into the casing.  Most are dated 1917-1918 and often include a soldier’s name or a location, for example Champagne, France. Also included are a couple of examples of embroidery therapy during WW1 which was a common practice for rehabilitating soldiers. The examples included are from 1918 and most likely stitched in France.