(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved. Contact us for information about using this image.
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At the turn of the 20th century, women were encouraged to try their hand at basketry. The materials needed to create a basket were inexpensive and it was easy to learn. This photograph was reproduced in Minnie J. Reynolds, "A Revival of Feminine Handcrafts," "Everybody's Magazine", July 1902. In Deerfield, Massachusetts, palm leaf, reed, pine needle, and willow basket makers formed a society known as the Deerfield Basket Makers, which oversaw the workmanship, form and designs of the baskets, and exhibited and sold their work under the auspices of the Deerfield Industries.