Vintage Handmade Split-Oak Picnic Basket circa 1940s-1950s

{HISTORY}

Cheers to picnic season! 

Whether you are heading to the beach or the mountains, rambling around the countryside or traipsing around a city park, culinary adventures await each and every season when you pack a snack in this vintage picnic basket and get out to explore the world. 

Like vintage luggage, vintage picnic baskets are packed full of individual charm and character, entirely unique to themselves. Classic in all the best ways, this handmade picknicker features a split oak basket weave design with a solid, flat, pine wood lid and movable handles. Due to its handmade nature, it’s impossible to date this one to a specific maker or year, but if we had to take an educated guess, we would say it was made sometime between the 1940s to the 1950s. 

Aged to perfection with some unique hallmarks that include a just barely visible number 15 written in pencil on the lid, a metal latch that's missing its clasp, and smooth wood worn soft from decades of adventures, this one has enjoyed a fine time rambling about the country. Large in size, it offers ample room for all sorts of foodstuffs, beverages, and tableware accessories. The flat lid acts like an impromptu tabletop when you are ready to dine.

Strong and sturdy, it's the loveliest carrier for the traditional picnic ensemble - drinks, snacks, picnic blanket, flatware, plates, and glassware. Weighing in at 3lbs, we recommend choosing lighter-weight picnic materials so that the bottom basketweave will continue to remain strong. This is not the basket to tote a big watermelon in or cart around a dozen bottles or cans. That being said, it can handle a bottle of wine, ceramic plates, and stemware, along with assorted food containers and picnic linens. 

A handy helper and an enthusiastic adventurer for decades more to come, when not in use, this basket also makes a great roomy storage box for kitchen linens, pantry items, and other grab-and-go kitchen necessities. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Two-handled picnic basket
• Hinged lid
• Constructed with wood (oak & pine) and nails

{CONDITION}

In lovely, well-traveled vintage condition, this basket is in great shape with strong, sturdy handles and a solid wood lid. The hinges contain some rust, but operate smoothly and securely. The latch is missing its top clasp. The underside of the lid contains some light staining, possibly glue marks from what was once decorative interior paper or cloth. The top row of the basketweave is a bit looser than the other rows, making it feel a bit more fragile, but the wood is just as strong as the other rows. On one side of the basket, there is one vertical row that has two cracks in the strip of wood, near the top of the rim, but this does not affect the overall integrity of the basket.  There are a couple of scuff marks that can be seen in a few spots on the basket as indictive of age and use, but do not affect the overall structure of the basket. Natural discoloration in some area adds authentic rustic charm. Please see photos. 

{SIZE}

Measures 18.25" inches (length) x 11.25" inches (width) x 11.5" inches (height - not including handles) and weighs 3 lbs.