Basket People Part 2: Wicker Men

Bawdy, provocative, raunchy, romantic, steamy, vulgar, warm, wise, witty.  

These are not usually words associated with basketry, but they've  been used by reviewers of the soon-to-be-released movie Wicker. (Release date October 23, 2026 United States, 30 October 2026 United Kingdom.) 

I've not seen it. For some reason, no one thought to invite me to the Sundance Film Festival! It premiered there on January  24, 2026.

In a nutshell, Basket Weaver (played by Peter Dinklage) deftly twists willows, at the request of Fisherwoman (Olivia Colman), into a man to be her Wicker Husband (Alexander Skarsgård).  Basket Weaver succeeds, and the story goes from there.  The movie was adapted from the short story The Wicker Husband by Ursula Wills-Jones.  

The publicity photos released show an amazing basket person. So...what about that basket?

New Zealand's Wētā  Workshop designed the Wicker Husband. 

"A team of 50 people at Wētā  Workshop  spent months designing the practical costume....They first made a 3D-printed prosthetic shell molded precisely to Alexander Skarsgård's body shape. Actual real-life wicker was then hand-woven directly over the 3D-printed prosthetic base. A minor amount of CGI [computer generated imagery] was added later to make the gaps in the wicker look hollow instead of showing the actor's skin underneath."  It took about 90 minutes to apply the suit to  Skarsgård.    https://www.wetaworkshop.com/projects/wicker  and 

https://www.google.com/search?q=who+actually+made+the+baskets+for+the+3d+printed+suit+in+wicker+movie&oq=who+actually+made+the+baskets+for+the+3d+printed+suit+in+wicker+movie&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAtIBCTE2MjM0ajBqNKgCA7ACAfEF7phmllHlZVo&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.ob&ie=UTF-8

"The 3D-printed underlayer solved a complex design challenge, as a human body cannot be accurately recreated using only straight woven fibres. The printed structure provided the necessary contours while preserving the appearance of an entirely woven figure."  https://tribune.com.pk/story/2621314/how-was-alexander-skarsgard-transformed-in-wicker-weta-workshop-reveals-the-process

Creating a basketry suit seems an incredible feat, and I'd like to credit those weavers by name. Until then, I'm looking forward to seeing the movie. 

For basketry research purposes, of course.

Many years prior to this year's basket movie offering, The Wicker Man was released in 1973, with a remake in 2006. These also featured men in basket suits, but nothing like Skarsgård's form-fitting costume. These are more like a giant effigy figures, such as what might be seen at Burning Man.

Fred Bennett and Ernie Blake were the construction managers behind the wicker structures that were used in the 1973 film, made from "standard agricultural sheep-containment hurdles." 

[youtube - making of the wicker man. I did not link this source as this video has full nudity]

Above, the 1973 movie poster.

Left, Edward Woodward appears in the very large basket in the 1973 movie The Wicker Man, seen at the left.

In the 2006 remake, Nicolas Cage is in the basket cage at the right.

The 2006 remake of The Wicker Man was led by Production Designer Phillip Barker and Property Master Brent Lane. 

There are 55 people listed in the Art Department in the credits of this movie. There had to be some pretty decent basket weavers among them. 

https://shotonwhat.com/the-wicker-man-2006

Below, the 2006 movie poster.

                                                                                                      

Image below, interior basketry structure of a large effigy at Burning Man.  Unsplash photo 

by Joshua Williams, photo-1720748834947-a2a-61058bc3b

Right, large basketry effigy figure at Burning Man.

Unsplash photo by Leo Visions,

photo 1759083842319-a4534706c506

Basket People Part 1: Figural Baskets

Basket People are in people's homes and in people's museums. Soon one will be on a movie screen. Let's explore the older, static forms first, then take a look at basketry on men, and men in baskets, in the next blogpost, Basket People Part 2: Wicker Men. 

This category of basket people includes basketry dolls, effigy or figural baskets, and the like, from corn husk dolls from farming communities worldwide (not discussed in this post) to folded tule dolls of Indigenous Californians.

Among the first basket people that came to my mind are the basketry figures of the O'odam peoples of Arizona. This type of basket was primarily made for the tourist market. According to Andrew Hunter Whiteford (Southwestern Indian Baskets: Their History and Their Makers, 1988, page 139),  these forms became popular in the 1930s and many artists were making them in the 1940s. They are primarily female figures. Male figures are more rare, as are effigies including owls, dogs, turtles, and various other animals. 

The couple in this photograph live in my china cabinet. She carries a pot on her head, and the design on her dress is made of  yucca root. He looks sporty with buttons on his shirt, a belt, and cool footwear. These baskets are coiled of willow, yucca (yellowish), yucca root (brownish), and devil's claw (black) on a beargrass or cattail foundation.  He stands 11.2 cm tall.

Many more basket people like these live in museums.

A most charming figural basket from the Akimel O'odham is housed at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, object number 4740-1. It's coiled of willow and devil's claw on a cattail bundle foundation, and was made in the mid-20th century. See it here: https://cdm16286.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15086coll3/id/78/rec/22

A female figure with an expressive face and detailed dress is also at the Heard Museum, object number NA-SW-PG-B-119. She was made around 1970 and is coiled of yucca (bleached and unbleached) and devil's claw on a beargrass foundation. She can be seen here:  https://cdm16286.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15086coll3/id/53/rec/37

A basket man that appears ready for action can be found at the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis, object number 1989.8.33. It was made by a Klamath or Modoc weaver and is twined of cattail and tule. He's dressed in fringed leather breaches sewn with thread. He has a wicked looking wooden club with a black obsidian blade attached to the business end of it. This basket was made around 1930 - 1950. Visit him here:  https://collections.eiteljorg.org/objects/1687/doll?ctx=85de2eb44ec8898d6db19600d4885e71992756b3&idx=0

My blogpost on South American Figural Baskets features a colorful woman figure from Ecuador (post created 2/6/2026).

A friendly looking dog made by Tohono O'odham weaver Lucy Andrew, circa 1961, has its home at the Arizona State Museum, object number e-4645ab. Diane Dittemore of the Arizona State Museum discusses it here:  https://statemuseum.arizona.edu/online-exhibit/curators-choice/prize-winning-baskets

Dolls made of tule (bulrush) are made by various California Indigenous peoples, including the Miwok and Pomo. To learn about tule dolls from Kimberly Morales Johnson of the Gabrielino Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, visit the website of The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. This same page also features basketry dolls from the Purepecha of Mexico and Annishinaabe of Minnesota. https://nhm.org/stories/tule-and-its-many-gifts

These are fun baskets, and each has its own captivating personality. 

Basketry Purses

I've never been to Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, but I have long admired fabulous Nantucket baskets. Now the New York Times has picked up on the trendiness of Nantucket friendship baskets and their use as purses, as reported by Maria Santa Poggi in "This Little Basket Is Having a Very Good Summer" (published Aug. 13, 2026, updated Aug. 14, 2026).  Santa Poggi writes, "the friendship basket has become a woven collectible sometimes compared to an Hermes Birkin bag."  At several thousand dollars each, they are pricey. As unique works of art, they're worth the price. The article gives a good history of this form of basketry.   https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/style/nantucket-lightship-friendship-basket.html?smid=nytcore-android-share 

                                                                                

Paul F. Whitten, Nantucket Lightship Shopping Basket, 1971, rattan, oak, ivory,
and metal, (33.0 x 37.4 x 26.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum,
Museum purchase, 1975.143. Photo courtesy SAAM.

Without lids, they're known as lightship baskets. With lids, they're friendship baskets. José  Formoso Reyes created the friendship basket. A Filipino member of the U.S. Army in World War II, he became a U.S. citizen following the war, and settled in Nantucket. He added lids and decorative  scrimshaw.  For a more in-depth history of Nantucket basketry, the Nantucket Historical Association's website has links to articles including  "José Formoso Reyes"   https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/joses-formoso-reyes/ and "A Short History of Nantucket Baskets" https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/a-short-history-of-nantucket-baskets/ 

                                                                                            

Nantucket Basket by Joan Brink
and Priscilla M. King, c1990
National Museum of the 
American Indian catalog
number 25/4731

A collaboration between weaver Joan Brink and carver Priscilla M. King resulted in this modern take on a Nantucket friendship basket. It's woven of willow and wood, and the carving is of argillite.

The friendship basket harkens back to a classically shaped lidded basket (without carved embellishments), an old form that I saw recently in “Rest on the Flight into Egypt.” The basket here is oval, with a lid, and a handle. Possibly it's not the type of basket around when and where Jesus was a babe, but nevertheless it appears in this Madonna and Child scene. Perhaps it is intended to hold Flemish chestnuts that Joseph is hitting from a tree using a stick. This is an oil on panel painted about 1510 by Gerard David in the Netherlands. The painting is currently located at the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, object number 1937.1.43. Read more about it on their website, https://www.nga.gov/artworks/50-rest-flight-egypt 

Rest on the Flight into Egypt,
Gerard David, c 1510, 
National Gallery of Art 1937.1.43

Detail of Basket in Rest
on the Flight to Egypt

A tidy little purse from Akwesasne.
Photo: Bryn Potter

Finally, my own entry into the basketry purse category. Alas, it is not a Dutch antique, nor a coveted Nantucket basket, but it's just as important. It's a lovely northeastern piece from the Kanienkehake People of the Flint (Mohawk).  It's old tag proclaims "St. Regis Indian Reservation Basket." 

"The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is the federally-recognized government of the Saint Regis Mohawk Reservation at Akwesasne. The territory under our jurisdiction lies south of the border [in New York State] dividing the United States and Canada. The lands north of the border are under the jurisdiction of our counterparts, the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne"  according to the Mohawk Tribal Council website accessed 8/15/2026, https://www.srmt-nsn.gov/about

Interior of the Akwesasne Basket. Photo: Bryn Potter.

My basketry purse from Akwesasne / St. Regis  is circular with handles, about 9" x 2.5" in size and probably about 100 years old. It's formed of ash wood splints twined with braided sweetgrass. The splits were dyed, although there's no color to be seen on the exterior anymore. Open it, and the interior reveals some of the materials were dyed burgundy red and dark brown, colored with commercial dyes that have badly faded on the exterior. There are two braided sweetgrass handles that are stitched in place. The clasp is made of two splint rings, as is the simple and unfortunately broken hinge on the other side. This basket was purchased by me on EBay a dozen or so years ago. Who knew then that basketry purses could become the trendy accessory in 2026?

Basic Splint Basketry is a short book produced by the Akwesasne St. Regis Reserve, North American Indian Travelling College in 1986. It explains how to make baskets while following Mrs. Mary Adams as she creates one. It notes, at that time the book was written, Mrs. Adams had been a basket weaver for over 50 years. For more information, https://akwesasne.travel/our-stories/mohawk-and-akwesasne-basketmaking/

The Sombrero Vueltiao at the Olympics

The Winter 2026 Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy, have come and gone, but the lasting impression of stylish baskets remains in my mind.

Colombia's small team, consisting of cross country skier Fredrik Fostad and three coaches, walked in the opening ceremony sporting sombrero vueltiaos upon their heads. What knockouts! 

Town & Country magazine included Colombia in its list of "The Best Opening Ceremony Uniforms at the 2026 Winter Olympics" due to their "brightly patterned jackets." It's too bad they missed the opportunity to talk up these amazing hats!   https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/sporting/a70202021/best-dressed-teams-2026-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony/

Columbian team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

These fine hats, well known in Colombia and increasingly around the world, were also worn by Colombian athletes in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. (photo: olimpicocol)

Just what are these Colombian favorites?

The fibers of the Caña flecha palm (Gynerium sagittatum) are separated and dried in the sun for the white color, and then dyed in mud for the black color. The weaving technique has been used by the Zenú people in the Sinú River region since before colonization, and continues to be used by them today. They braid strips of fibers together, which are then sewn together in elaborate patterns.

Although the black and white hats are traditional, artists are employing more colors in some contemporary pieces. A number of bright and wonderful sombreros vueltiaos are available on the Best of Colombia Group website, which notes that they work with over 80 families of artists to create their crafts. While the selection of hats looks enchanting, please note, I have not purchased anything from this website nor authenticated that statement about the artists.  https://bestofcolombia.com/collections/sombrero-vueltiao-hats-1

For more information on this exciting national headware of Colombia, visit  https://colombia.co/en/colombia-country/history/vueltiao-hat

Photo courtesy https://colombia.co/en/colombia-country/history/vueltiao-hat

President Nixon's Straw Baskets

When one looks, one can find baskets in nearly every museum one visits.

About a decade ago, a friend and I attended a gathering of archivists held at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, and yes, I found a couple of Indigenous baskets on display. 

They were in an exhibition that featured gifts given to the Nixons. The labels contained the names of the donors, but otherwise, additional information was sorely lacking.

Richard M. Nixon's presidency lasted from 1969 to 1974, so he presumably received the baskets during this period. The colors used in the baskets could be from commercial dyes. Yet the first basket, made by a Navajo artist, looks like it might have a bit more age to it. Closer inspection might indicate that natural dyes were used, such as mountain mahogany for the red color, and sunflower seeds for the black color.

 Navajo Wedding Basket

The first "Straw Basket, Handwoven," is a Diné or Navajo basket, a type commonly referred to as a Navajo wedding basket. It is a coiled basket with a herringbone rim, and is most likely woven of split and peeled sumac.

Hualapai Basket

The second "Straw Basket" fares better with its label, as it is described as having been made by a weaver in the Hualapai Tribe of Peach Springs, Arizona. This basket is diagonally twined of split sumac with an orange and black pattern, and it has  a wrapped rim. 

The Library is worth a visit. It encompasses Nixon's birthplace and childhood home, Army One Presidential Helicopter, and lovely gardens. I suspect these baskets are not currently on display. 

The Library's exhibition "America 250: A More Perfect Union" is open through January 31, 2027. 

A Peace Rose in the Nixon's Rose Garden.

South American Figural Baskets

With Venezuela in the news lately, I thought I'd investigate two basketry items in my home that were said to have come from there. My husband's aunt spent two years teaching in Venezuela in 1962-1963, and I inherited two whimsical basketry figurines from her. 

From what I have found on the internet, they are most probably from Ecuador, not Venezuela. I do know that she was able to travel to neighboring countries during her summer breaks, and she brought home various small keepsakes, including molas from the Kuna people of Panama and Guatemalan textiles. 

In the late 1980s, I purchased some similarly made basketry figures that are Christmas ornaments. Maybe next December I'll pull those out and compare them to these two, a elegant woman and her burden basket-laden donkey.

The woman basketry figurine stands 14.5 cm or 5.75" tall. She is plain twined with braided details and free-flowing hair. Commercial dyes were used for the vibrant pink skirt and attached hat, the purple design in her skirt, and her knotted green shawl. Her body and hat are most likely made from "toquilla straw" or "paja toquilla."

"Carludovica palmata (also known as Panama hat plant, toquilla palm,

calá, palmilla, palmero, pojom, jiraca, junco, soyacal, tepejilote and jipijapa) is a species of flowering plant in the family Cyclanthaceae. It is not a true palm, but its leaves are very similar compared to the leaves of some true palms, for example, to Chelyocarpus ulei. Unlike several true palms, C. palmata does not develop a woody trunk." [Quote and photograph, Wikipedia, 1/23/2026].

The straw is most prominently used in the manufacture of Panama hats.  "Panama" is a misnomer here, as the famous and familiar straw hats are actually products of Ecuador.  

An informative video about toquilla straw and how these hats are woven can be found on this UNESCO heritage website: https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-weaving-of-the-ecuadorian-toquilla-straw-hat-00729

As for the burden baskets on the donkey, they are not straw. These baskets are also plain twined, but they're made of a material (not grass nor palm fiber) that has been split. The warp is folded over to form the rim.

The donkey's body is solid, perhaps plastic, covered with a fuzzy substance. It has a felt saddle sewn on, cotton cordage tied on, painted details, and plastic hooves.

The basket woman and her donkey make a charming vignette.

A Couple of Caravaggio Fruit Baskets and Carlos

In my last blog "The Madonna of the Basket" posted on 12/25/25, I mentioned that I wasn't able to find much about Italian Renaissance basketry in my quick perusal of the internet. But what I did find were two more Italian Renaissance paintings that feature baskets in both images and titles. Both of these oil on canvas works were produced by artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.

Caravaggio, Boy With a Basket of Fruit
Galleria Borghese, Rome (photo: Wikipedia)

“Boy With a Basket of Fruit” (c1593) is part of the collection at Rome's Galleria Borghese in Rome.    

(photo: Wikipedia)

"The basket looks extraordinarily real and vivid," a L.A. Times review explains. 

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-caravaggio-getty-20171220-htmlstory.html

Below: detail of the basket held by the boy.

Caravaggio, The Basket of Fruit
Ministero dei Beni e delle Attivita
 Culturali e del Turismo — Galleria Borghese

Caravaggio created "The Basket of Fruit” a few years later, and reportedly it has been in the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan since then (c1597-1600).  This same website gives a glowing description of the painting, but the description of the basket itself is very short – “realistically painted wicker braiding.”

https://www.visit-milan-italy.com/museums/ambrosiana/caravaggio-basket-of-fruit-ambrosiana-milan-italy.html

 Detail, rim of the basket of fruit.

About these basketry descriptions. Real and vivid, yes. Realistically painted? Sure, but it makes me wonder what the comparison was - where are the actual Italian Renaissance baskets hiding, do any exist in museum collections?  

These "braided" baskets look like wicker to me. The website of Museo dell'Intreccio Mediterraneo - Castello dei Doria (Museum of Mediterranean Weaving - Doria Castle) in Sardinia, Italy, describes plaiting with two, three, and multiple weavers. But no illustrations of these techniques are provided. Caravaggio's boy's basket looks like three weavers, or wefts, were used. The fruit basket looks like four wefts, which were split into pairs to complete the rim. 

https://www.mimcastelsardo.it/en/index.html

As to what they are made out of, I found a couple of websites that discuss modern Italian baskets. Museo dell'Intreccio Mediterraneo provides materials including cane, dried wheat culm, dwarf palm, myrtle, oak, olive, willow, sea and lake hay. Elm, hazel, oak and reeds are listed on other websites.  As with basketry world-over, local baskets are made with locally available materials. My guess here would be that Caravaggio painted willow baskets, based on comparisons to similar willow baskets made in the Pueblos of the American Southwest and northern California.

How are these types of baskets actually woven? Sometimes, actions speak louder than words. The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico, created a very informative video of artist Carlos Herrera, a Cochiti Pueblo weaver, creating a plaited willow basket. Here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__mzqSMitRU

Willow Basket by Carlos Herrera,
Cochiti Pueblo, 2021
lower side view

Although I don't have an Italian Renaissance basket photo to share, I do have a photo of a basket made by Carlos Herrera that I purchased from him at the Santa Fe Indian Market in 2021. It is made of willow.  Willow baskets such as these are made by various Pueblo tribes, and by tribes in Northern California. Yet again, a topic for a future blogpost.

Willow Basket by Carlos Herrera,
Cochiti Pueblo, 2021
top view