Our Favorite Things

Collections of SDSU Library Staff and Faculty
August 11 through September 8, 2004

Native American Baskets and Advertising Tins and Collectibles

Marsha Shea
Serials Unit

To create something useful that is also beautiful intrigues me, which is probably the reason I really like baskets. Some baskets in my house are regularly used - to hold napkins, loose change, cat toys, et cetera. Others are mostly for display. In the life of the Indian, baskets filled everyday demands for cooking, carrying, and storage.

When I look at these baskets, I truly respect the patience, resourcefulness, and invention of aboriginal women. I'm not at all sure I would see the possibilities in grass, pine needles, or roots to make a cooking pot or a carrier for a child!

Most of all, they are lovely to look at, with pleasing shapes and colors decorating these common household objects.

I enjoy rummaging in antique stores and wanted a "country" feel in my kitchen, so collecting old food containers and posters seemed a natural fit. What drew me to most of these items were the colors, which are usually bright and primary. Sometimes it was the unusual or unfamiliar brand names.

It's also fun to remember how things used to be. I think it's been about 25 years since I've sat in an old-fashioned drug store with a soda fountain. It seems that stores today are so big and impersonal, or parts of a national chain. I really miss the smaller "mom & pop" stores, and these items remind me of another time.