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Folk Art

FOLK ART STYLE

Folk art is a genre of art that shares the creator’s traditions, offering not just an artistic display but an opportunity to learn about a culture. Antique, new and vintage folk art typically reflects a heritage or location. It can include utilitarian objects and handmade art as diverse as weather vanes, duck decoys, portraiture and paintings, carnival art and quilts.

Quilts are a quintessential part of American folk art but their roots are international, with quilting dating back to Ancient Egypt. The practice spread to Europe and was especially prominent in the Middle Ages, with one of the oldest surviving examples being the Tristan quilt made in Sicily in the 14th century. They were made as bedcovers and clothing, including as a layer for knights to wear beneath their armor. Native American folk art includes functional objects reflecting their heritage, such as baskets, textiles and wooden pieces.

Elsewhere, the vast range of work associated with Mexican folk art includes masks made by Mexican craftspeople for traditional celebrations and ceremonial dances. Mexican masks are part of the country’s folk-art traditions that go back thousands of years and play a role in festivals and theater.

Works in the folk art tradition are valuable because of the skills involved, like weaving, hand-carving wood and even stonework. Many folk artists are self-taught, while some train as apprentices within their community. By using available materials and taking a personal approach to their creations, artists ensure each piece is unique and conveys a story.

During the Great Depression, artistic materials in America were hard to come by, so artisans used discarded wood from cigar boxes and shipping crates to make highly stylized, notched pieces — most often picture frames and boxes — that are today sought after by collectors. This folk art style is called tramp art and was popular from roughly 1870 until the 1940s.

Folk art brings vibrant culture and traditions into your home. Browse an extensive collection of antique, new and vintage folk art on 1stDibs.

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Style: Folk Art
Returnable Items Only
Inge Woelfle - Portrait of a Bavarian Folksy Man with Pipe, Oil on Wood
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Inge Woelfle - Portrait of a Bavarian Folksy Man with Pipe, Oil on Wood An colorful oil painting depicting a pipe smoking folksy Bavarian man in his sunday robe. Painted on wood with pastel colors around 1950s. Framed with wooden carved and gilded frame in Baroque style. Painted by Inge Woelfle. Signed on the right top corner. Alpine oil...
Category

Mid-20th Century German Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Late 19th Century Folk Art Bumbass instrument
Located in London, GB
Late 19th Century Folk Art Bumbass instrument A rare example of a late 19th Century folk art Bumbass instrument form, we have only ever uncovered one other example in the past 10 ...
Category

Early 1900s Unknown Antique Folk Art

Materials

Brass

Folk Art Preening White Winged Scoter Decoy by Reggie Birch
Located in Nantucket, MA
Folk Art Preening White Winged Scoter Decoy by Reggie Birch, circa 2000, in the manner of a Gus Wilson Monhegan Island decoy, hand carved of white cedar with neck and head turned back to preen feathers on the back, with carved detail to eyes, bill nares, inlet neck, raised wings and upswept tail; the paint is deliberately distressed and aged to produce a striking patina. The wood is as dried as an antique, and the decoy has been worked to appear well used in the field. One would never suspect this was not an actual antique if not for the prominent signature on the bottom. Reggie Birch is a renowned award-winning decoy carver from Chincoteague Island...
Category

Late 20th Century American Folk Art

Materials

Cedar

Oil Painting “Palaios” 1969
Located in Oxford, GB
This unique "Palaios" art painting by MW Saunders is a timeless piece dating back to 1968, featuring intricate artwork and vibrant colours. Perfect for any collector or art enthusias...
Category

1960s Swedish Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Vintage Folk Art Glazed Terracotta Shoe - Signed & Dated - U.S. - Circa 1966
Located in Chatham, ON
Vintage American folk art glazed terracotta shoe - hand modeled - signed and dated on the base - United States - circa 1966. Good vintage condition - hand modeled body as intended b...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Folk Art

Materials

Terracotta

Paul Walker - Outsider Art Box and Fan
Located in Savannah, GA
Paul Edward Walker (American, b.1949) Box and fan signed on side P.E.W. ‘94 box: 8 ¾ inches wide by 5 ½ inches deep by 2 ½ inches tall Paul Walker is a Savannah, Georgia outside...
Category

1990s American Folk Art

Materials

Wood, Paint, Paper

Swedish folk art watercolour “Kungsklippan", 1932
Located in Oxford, GB
This Swedish folk art watercolour farm house located in Kingsklippan, Sweden on winter scene is a unique and timeless piece of art. Crafted with an aged brown tone, the painting has ...
Category

1930s Swedish Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Paper

Custom Mounted Display of Antique Child's Baseball Gloves
Located in West Hartford, CT
A collection of 9 rare small antique childs baseball gloves circa 1920's -1960's. Custom displayed in a cabinet grade black painted maple shadow box with custom made steel stands. T...
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art

Materials

Leather, Wood

Antique German Hand Painted Cabinet, Anno 1812
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A beautiful cabinet from the rural south of germany, dating from 1812. The cabinet was probably given as a wedding present. This cabinet is made of solid pine and is hand painted in ...
Category

1810s German Antique Folk Art

Materials

Pine

D.G. BENNETT - 'U.S. White Tailed Deer' - Painted Wood Plate - Late 20th Century
Located in Chatham, ON
DAVID G. BENNETT - 'American White Tailed Deer' - Vintage hand painted folk art wood plate/charger - solid lathe turned pine - signed front - signed and titled back - Canada (Wasaga...
Category

Late 20th Century Canadian Folk Art

Materials

Pine, Paint

Mexican Vintage Tonala Pottery Hand Painted Bird
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage Mexican Tonala hand painted pottery bird Folk Art. Flora de la Cruz Acapulco Gro Mexico hand painted bird dove ceramic. Warm earth tone polychrome colors with abstract desi...
Category

Mid-20th Century Mexican Folk Art

Materials

Ceramic, Pottery

Pair of early 20th century English estate made folk art decoy pigeons
Located in London, GB
Pair of early 20th century English estate made folk art decoy pigeons Obtained from an Estate sale in Cornwall earlier this month, hand carved pine working pair of folk-art pigeon d...
Category

1910s European Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Pine

Beaded Ndebele Ceremonial Doll
Located in Chicago, IL
A rare imported commodity, glass beads have been a symbol of wealth and importance in south African cultures for centuries, and were exclusively distributed by the region's oba (king). As beads become gradually more accessible throughout the 19th century, they began to displace the organic materials used in traditional art and attire. This colorful example of African beadwork...
Category

Mid-20th Century South African Folk Art

Materials

Wood, Fabric, Cotton

Carved Wood Sculpture of the Hindu Deity Nandi With Pedestal, Circa 1920
Located in Point Richmond, CA
South Indian carved wood sculpture depicting the Hindu Deity of Nandi, a recumbent black bull figure, known within the Hindu faith as the vehicle for Siva, often depicted in sculptur...
Category

20th Century Indian Folk Art

Materials

Hardwood

Painting Rural Feast, oil, hardboard, Oto Dobovišek, Yugoslavia 1973
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
Immerse yourself in the charming and whimsical world of rural life with this captivating painting of style Naive Art by Oto Dobovišek (born in Maribor in 1920), an artist from Yugosl...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Folk Art

Materials

Paint

Mexican Burnished Clay Chicken Kitchen Vessel Hen Egg Basket Decoration
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
This Mexican ceramic hen is an egg basket, perfect to keep eggs fresh -- a utilitarian kitchen piece by artist Manuel Reyes. Made with clay from Oaxaca and Zacatecas, painted with oxides from the region. Done with the hand-modeled technique and cooked in traditional wood-fired oven. Reyes has been constantly innovating with his hen collection, making this one of his most iconic works. Ceramic artist, sculptor and painter, Manuel Reyes (Mexico City, 1972) atended the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas in Xochimilco, México. He was later mentored by Royer Von Guten, Joy Laville...
Category

2010s Mexican Folk Art

Materials

Clay, Ceramic

Antique English Painted Chest Of Drawers Dressing Table Scumbled Folk Art
Located in Sherborne, Dorset
A very decorative English pine dressing chest of three drawers with an attractive honey hue and contrasting ebonized knob handles, surmounted by a dressing-glass, which can be easy r...
Category

Late 19th Century British Antique Folk Art

Materials

Mirror, Pine, Paint

Arbol de la Vida Bull Colorful Ceramic Mexican Folk Art Tree of Life
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
Beautiful folk art piece made by La Familia Castillo. Handmade in clay and painted with acrylic paint. Created by master artisan Soledad Martha Hernández and her son Marco Antonio C...
Category

2010s North American Folk Art

Materials

Ceramic

Mid-19th Century Folk Art Horn Carved Nun Figure
Located in London, GB
Mid-19th Century Folk Art Horn Carved Nun Figure A rare and unusual example of a mid-19th Century hand carved folk art figure of a Nun. Made from the t...
Category

1880s Unknown Antique Folk Art

Materials

Horn

Mid-century Modern Articulated Wood Artist Hand Model
Located in Downingtown, PA
Articulated Wood Artist Hand Model, 1950s-1970 The beautifully carved light wood hand is articulated at the wrist and the base of each finger while the forefinger and thumb are also...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Large Whimsical Antique Hand Carved Wooden Horse Sculpture
Located in Forney, TX
A large antique hand carved wooden horse sculpture on stand. Most likely from Southeast Asia, (Indonesian, Burmese, Thai) early 20th c...
Category

Early 20th Century Folk Art

Materials

Wood

19th Century Napoleonic Prisoner of War Carved 'Spinning Jenny' Automaton.
Located in London, GB
19th Century Napoleonic Prisoner of War Carved 'Spinning Jenny' Automaton. A rare early 19th Century example of a Napoleonic prisoner of war carved mutton bone 'Spinning Jenny' autom...
Category

1820s Unknown Antique Folk Art

Materials

Bone

Folk Art Giant Metal Scissors Industrial Store Display Sign
Located in Atlanta, GA
This is an industrial metal store display sign that showcases French Folk Art. The sign boasts gigantic scissors, which can be used as an advertisement for a barber or hair salon. It is possible that the sign was originally used as a trade sign for a tailor shop or a millinery store. The sign is made of chromed metal and has the same maneuverability as real scissors. Despite being an outdoor sign...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Folk Art

Materials

Metal, Chrome

Vintage Studio Pottery Teapot with Gargoyle Handle - Signed - Mid 20th Century
Located in Chatham, ON
Vintage hand-made studio pottery glazed ceramic lidded teapot - applied and articulated terracotta gargoyle face - the tongue of the beast forming ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Canadian Folk Art

Materials

Ceramic

Antique Carrom Company Large Wood Game Board Double Sided
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Antique carrom large wooden game board double-sided. Antique Carrom Company 1907 wood game board double sided, made in USA. Each corner of the boar...
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Folk Art Moose Head Walking Stick English Midcentury
Located in Mimizan, FR
Folk Art Moose Head Walking Stick English midcentury This is carved by J P Postin one of a set of 3 different walking sticks I'll be listing This measures 133.75cm 52.66ins There is ...
Category

20th Century English Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Beaded Yoruba Staff
Located in Chicago, IL
The Yoruba people reserve the use of glass beads for royalty, priests and priestesses, as well as embellishing ritual and ceremonial objects. Though only kings are allowed to use bea...
Category

Mid-20th Century South African Folk Art

Materials

Metal, Iron

Portrait Miniature In Graphite American 19th Century
Located in Hudson, NY
This is a very beautiful , highly detailed and well executed portrait of a woman. Created in the early nineteenth century with graphite on paper. The sitter can be seen with a book in her hand and a ring on her finger. She is sitting in a painted fancy chair by the window with the drape pulled back...
Category

Early 19th Century American Antique Folk Art

Materials

Wood, Paper

Antique African Bronze Bracelet Currency Bangle Tribal Artifact
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Antique African bronze bracelet currency bangle Tribal art. High quality bronze currency bracelet from west Africa. Traditionally used in monetary fu...
Category

Mid-20th Century African Folk Art

Materials

Bronze

Oversized Advertising Store Display Scissors
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Brass oversized scissors probably used for advertising and or store display. These will add interest to any room, wall, hair salon or fashion fashi...
Category

1960s American Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Brass

Cigar Store Statue, Half and Half Pipe Mixture
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Cigar store red wood statue titled Half and Half, Pipe Mixture. Statue is half man and half woman. Left foot has a carved number of 523. A great piec...
Category

1940s American Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Wood, Paint

Grain Painted Blanket Chest American
Located in Hudson, NY
Painted blanket chest with bracketed feet and beautiful saw tooth apron. Top with molded edge and stepped cleats. An absolute delight, this festive 18th century jewel...
Category

Late 18th Century American Antique Folk Art

Materials

Pine, Paint

Large Pink Cast Iron Pig Money Bank or Doorstop with Wings, Denmark
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Danish piggy pink cast iron money bank or doorstopper with wings. This smiling and charming Lady Pig is newly powder-coated in "pretty pink". She...
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Folk Art

Materials

Iron

Painting portrait Sad Clown, oil, hardboard, Oto Dobovišek, Yugoslavia 1989s
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
This oil painting, titled "Sad Clown," is a remarkable piece of Naive art created by Oto Dobovišek in Yugoslavia during the 1980s. This folk art portrait beautifully captures the poi...
Category

Mid-20th Century Slovenian Folk Art

Materials

Paint

Carved Wooden Milliners Head, Vintage Germany, circa 1960s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Adorable unique wood carved head. Germany, 1960s. Ideal decoration item, used in the displaying and making of hats. Hand carved from wood. Nice display piece in any room. Found at an...
Category

1960s German Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Early 20th Century carved hand painted decoy
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Early 20th century carved hand painted decoy circa 1920. Hand painted Scandinavian decoy duck, black and white paint scheme with yellow eyes.   Fine example of how things used to be...
Category

Early 20th Century Swedish Folk Art

Materials

Pine, Paint

French 1900s Tramp Art Folk Mirror with Brass Tacks and Intersecting Corners
Located in Atlanta, GA
A French rectangular Tramp Art hand-carved wooden Folk mirror from the early 20th century, with raised diamond motifs, geometric patterns, intersecting corners and brass tacks. Creat...
Category

Early 20th Century French Folk Art

Materials

Mirror, Wood

Hand Painted Wooden House with Storage - in an American Folk Art Style
Located in Morristown, NJ
A charming handmade storage piece in the form of a house with two chimneys. Executed in the American Folk Art style, this is a charming piece that is both decorative and practical. T...
Category

Late 20th Century American Folk Art

Materials

Metal

Tonala Folk Art Pottery Charger, Hand Painted Swan, Mexico, Circa 1970's
Located in Chatham, ON
Tonala folk art pottery charger or wall plate - large size - hand made and hand painted with a swan and flowers - elaborate border - unsigned - Mexico - circa 1970's. Excellent v...
Category

Late 20th Century Mexican Folk Art

Materials

Ceramic, Paint

Mexican Burnished Clay Chicken Kitchen Hen Egg Basket Decoration Hen Brown
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
This Mexican ceramic hen is an egg basket/container, perfect to keep eggs fresh -- a utilitarian kitchen piece by artist Manuel Reyes. Made with clay from Oaxaca and Zacatecas, painted with oxides from the region. Done with the hand-modeled technique and cooked in traditional wood-fired oven. Reyes has been constantly innovating with his hen collection, making this one of his most iconic works. Ceramic artist, sculptor and painter, Manuel Reyes (Mexico City, 1972) atended the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas in Xochimilco, México. He was later mentored by Royer Von Guten, Joy Laville...
Category

2010s Mexican Folk Art

Materials

Ceramic, Clay

Diptych paintings in the style of Naive art, Oto Dobovišek, Yugoslavia 1970s
Located in Miklavž Pri Taboru, SI
Immerse yourself in the charming and whimsical world of rural life with this captivating set of two diptych paintings of style Naive Art by Oto Dobovišek, an artist from Yugoslavia i...
Category

Mid-20th Century Slovenian Folk Art

Materials

Paint

Four Meissen Porcelain Plaques Depicting the Four Seasons
Located in London, GB
This delicately detailed set of four allegorical porcelain plaques portrays family scenes within the theme of the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Spring can be ide...
Category

Early 19th Century German Antique Folk Art

Materials

Metal

Early 20th Century French Folk Art Shellwork Table
Located in Milford, NH
A wonderful folk art rectangular shellwork table featuring a top with foliate polychrome sand design around shells under glass, with the entire surface of the sides and legs covered with small seashells set...
Category

Early 20th Century French Folk Art

Materials

Shell, Glass, Wood

Traditional Silver Torque Necklace Chocker from Rajasthan India
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Traditional torque or Hansuli silvered necklace choker from Lambadi or Banjara and Sugali People, Andhra Pradesh, India.t India, circa 1940. Fabulous vi...
Category

Early 20th Century Indian Folk Art

Materials

Metal, Silver Plate

Carousel Day of the Dead Ceramic Mexican Folk Art by Familia Castillo
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
Beautiful folk art piece made by La Familia Castillo. Handmade in clay and painted with acrylic paint. Day of the Dead theme. Created by master artisan Soledad Martha Hernández and...
Category

2010s North American Folk Art

Materials

Ceramic

Folk Art Horse Head Walking Stick English Midcentury
Located in Mimizan, FR
Folk Art Horse Head Walking Stick English midcentury This is carved by J P Postin one of a set of 3 different walking sticks I'll be listing This measures 133.75cm 52.66ins There is ...
Category

20th Century English Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Mid-century Modern Articulated Wood Artist Hand Model
Located in Downingtown, PA
Articulated Wood Artist Hand Model, 1950s The carved light wood hand is articulated at the wrist and the base of each finger while the forefinger and thumb are also articulated at t...
Category

Mid-20th Century Belgian Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Double Sided Gilt & Painted "HAPPY JACK'S" Tobacconist Trade Sign, Laconia, NH
Located in Chapel Hill, NC
Two-sided tobacconist trade sign of circular form with gold leaf lettering with red shadow on a black sand paint ground with green borders "HAPPY JACK'S" centers a cutout pipe above a white banner applied to the bottom of each side which reads "CIGAR, PIPE & / TOBACCO SHOP...
Category

Late 20th Century American Folk Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

18thc Hand Carved Rooster Sculpture on Stand
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This fine folk art 18thc hand carved rooster ,sculpture sits on a board /stand.This fine sculpture has a wonderful red wash painted surface & several shrinkage cracks from natural ag...
Category

Late 18th Century American Antique Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Hand Painted Indian Folk Art Stand or Low Table
Located in Chillerton, Isle of Wight
Hand Painted Indian Folk Art Stand or Low Table A Lovely Decorative piece painted in an orange pallet with Flowers This little metal table is very stable ...
Category

19th Century Antique Folk Art

Materials

Tin

Signed Watercolor El Equipal Folk Art Painting by Luis Ricardo Amendolla, 1980's
Located in Deland, FL
Signed Watercolor "El Equipal" Folk Art Painting by Luis Ricardo Amendolla, Mexico, c. 1980's About: Introducing a true Mexican Folk Art masterpiece: a signed original watercolor du...
Category

1980s Mexican Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Glass, Paint, Paper

Early 20th Century Folk Art "American Eagle" Silhouette Decorative Box
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Folk art decorative box with eagle motif in attractive red paint (ca. 1910-1920, USA). The hinged top opens to reveal a divided storage compartment, per...
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art

Materials

Wood, Paint

Vintage Folk Art Winter Snow Landscape Long Format Painting
Located in Seguin, TX
Antique circa 1915 oil on wood board folk art winter forest scene painting, wood is from an old tobacco crate . Signed Rozella D'Hizar. Unframed, edge wear.
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art

Materials

Wood, Paint

Collection of Four Vintage Swedish Dala Horses by Nils Olsson, Sweden Folk Art
Located in Nuernberg, DE
This offer is for a collection of four Swedish Dala Horses by Nils Olsson. These are hand carved painted wood. The larger one is approximate 6 3/4" high, 6 3/8" wide and 1 7/8" deep....
Category

1970s Swedish Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Wood, Paint

Early 20th Century Grey Whale Shop/Trade Sign
Located in Hastings, GB
'Thar She Blows' a fabulous rare shop/trade sign of great scale, hand made in riveted zinc and hand painted. This superb piece sits on an iron stand and would have spun outside of a ...
Category

1920s French Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Zinc

Early 20th Century Ventriloquists dummy attributed to Herber Brighton
Located in London, GB
Early 20th Century Ventriloquists dummy attributed to Herber Brighton A rare example of an early 20th century ventriloquists dummy attributed to Herber Brighton. In sailors’ uniform...
Category

1920s British Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Paper

Hand Carved Gnome + Deer Woodland Totem
Located in Brooklyn, NY
If great art is meant to inspire and provoke, this beautiful carving of a gnome with a deer on it's head may be the greatest piece of art ever made. Hand carved by the artist "R.S." in the year '75, this large pine log has become so much more than the sum of it's parts. Roughly hewn details give the sculpture an almost living, breathing feel. Perfect for fans of all sorts of woodland nymphs and creatures- from elves to hobbits and beyond. Please confirm item pickup location (Brooklyn NY or Wall NJ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Folk Art

Materials

Wood, Pine

Carved Wooden Milliners Head, Vintage Austria, circa 1910s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Adorable unique wood carved head. Austria, 1910s. Ideal decoration item, used in the displaying and making of hats. Hand carved from wood. Nice display piece in any room. Found at an...
Category

1910s Austrian Vintage Folk Art

Materials

Wood

Folk Art folk art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique folk art for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage folk art created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include folk art, decorative objects, wall decorations and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, metal and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Folk Art made in a specific country, there are North America, United States, and Europe pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original folk art, popular names associated with this style include Berber Tribes of Morocco, Mosche Bianche, Jim Rose, and Nils Olsson. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for folk art differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $35 and tops out at $49,500 while the average work can sell for $1,387.

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