Antique Chinese Wicker Sewing Basket Small - Coins, Tassels, Glass Bangles Beads

Description

Antique Chinese Wicker Sewing Basket - Small - Coins, Tassels, Glass Bangles and Beads
Size:
5.5" diameter x 2.5" tall.
Decoration:
5 Chinese coins, 2" glass pink glass bangle, 15 glass beads, and 2 blue silk tassels.
I bought several baskets at antique shops in St. Louis in the 1990s, including this one. This small Chinese basket is in very good condition considering its age. All coins, glass beads, glass bangle, and silk tassels are present.
Inside this basket are areas of white lettering that could be old Chinese, but it's unreadable to me.
It's been sitting on a bookshelf as decoration these past 25+ years.
History:
"Today "Made in China" is a ubiquitous label in U.S. homes but in the early 1900s, there was one thing in particular that Americans coveted from China - Chinese sewing baskets.
"The baskets entered the United States by the thousands between 1880 and 1930. Featuring exotic decorations, they could be found proudly displayed in American homes and usually held women's sewing supplies.
"Twenty-five baskets are on display at the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude. They are part of a collection of more than 100 the museum received a month ago from Roderick and Linda Sprague of Moscow, Idaho.
"Affordability and design helped to make the sewing baskets desired items. Their exotic decorations of colorful beads, glass bangles, silk tassels and coins made them household showpieces. Most of the baskets came from Guangdong province in southern China, near Canton (today's Guangzhou). The sewing baskets were made especially for export.
"According to the book, "Chinese Sewing Baskets," by Betty-Lou Mukerji, "In China, baskets of all sizes and descriptions were woven to hold laundry, fish, fruit, flowers, rice, crickets, and innumerable other items. Special baskets, called bridal baskets, were made to hold gifts for presentation during a wedding. Baskets having multiple layers and baskets with handles were also in great demand by the populace." Dec. 10, 2010, LMTribune.com