What Is a Lightship Cradle?
"Nantucket Lightship Baskets" are a traditional American handicraft from Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The baskets come in a variety of decorative or utilitarian shapes. One of these is the Nantucket Lightship Basket cradle. The basket weaving tradition is still alive on the island and cradles are produced by local artisans. Antique Nantucket Lightship baskets are collector's items.
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Rattan Baskets
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The Nantucket basket making tradition owes one of its typical materials to the whaling trade. In the early nineteenth century, sailors introduced the rattan vine to their island as a new weaving material. Basket makers began to create strong baskets from rattan over molds made from cooper's barrels. These baskets became known as rattan baskets.
Nantucket Lightship Baskets
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In 1856, Nantucket placed the New South Shoal Lightship in service, an old schooner maintained by a crew of ten. The sailors spent months at a time on board and filled their spare time with basket weaving. The Nantucket Lightship Basket tradition was born. The lightship weavers adapted cooper's techniques to create their sturdy rattan baskets with wooden bottoms, staves and hoops like a cooper's barrel.
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Collector's Items
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According to Nantucket historian Martha Lawrence: "... the majority of baskets were made for personal fulfillment and family use, some were constructed specifically for commercial sale. Often these pieces carried labels which identified not only the maker but the island shopkeeper in whose store they were carried. Occasionally a basket will turn up at auction today with such a label and will, of course, command a higher price because of this augmentation".
Nantucket Lightship Basket Cradles
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The basket weaving tradition is still alive today on Nantucket Island. Modern master basket makers are creating new shapes. The baby cradle is one of the largest Nantucket Lightship baskets and hard to find. Basketry, etc. carries a cradle with oak ribs, cane weavers, base and rockers from walnut and ivory-topped knobs. Master basket maker Michael Kane creates similar baby baskets without the rockers.
Make Your Own Lightship Cradle
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Basket makers.org offers classes and kits for making your own Nantucket Lightship Baskets in a variety of shapes including a cradle. Supplies are available from several online stores. Watch a youtube demonstration of a lady weaving the beginning only of a Nantucket Lightship Basket Cradle. Youtube also has videos on Lightship basket weaving in general.
Buying Tips
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When shopping for a Nantucket Lightship Cradle, look for even and straight staves, which should not be leaning, and for a straight and even weave without gaps. There should be no splits or breaks in the cane. Splices will appear as bulges down the sides of the cradle but they should be worked into the weave without being easily detectable. Look for the weaver's signature.
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References
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Comments
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I'm trying to make a Nantucket basket. Thanks for information.
