southern art

Tramp Art is a wanderer's art form: there are no written records of the carvers' work. During the period between 1870-1930 this relatively little-known but widespread form of folk art blossomed in America. There were no rules for constructing the pieces; materials were whatever the carver had available within the context of his own imagination, experience, and abilities. He then translated and created what he saw into works of art by using his pocketknife, found articles and the ever-present cigar box.

Though the term Tramp Art implies these pieces were created by hobo's, they are believed to have been created primarily by skilled but itinerant German or Scandinavian immigrants who traveled the country selling or trading their wares.