Nell K. Pruyn Cunningham Indian Basket Collection

Collection Owner:
Cover Image:
photo of basket
Pomo miniature basket, ca. 1890-1920 - Image Source

Collection Facts

Extent:
35

Historical Context

Crandall Library benefactor, Nell K. Pruyn Cunningham (1876-1962), donated this collection of mostly west coast/Pacific rim baskets made by Indigenous Peoples that she bought in the first decades of the 20th century, and displayed at the library as early as 1920. Many of the baskets Pruyn collected were from the Pasadena, California gallery of Grace Nicholson (1877-1948),
who traveled throughout Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, purchasing Native American folk art.

Scope of Collection

Handmade baskets by indigenous peoples living in the Western part of present day United States of America and Canada, as well as the state of Louisiana.