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Folk Art Bookcases

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
Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson Folk Art Carved Oak Oval Cutting or Cheese Board
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This solid oak oval cutting board was made by the renowned English furniture maker Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson in his signature Arts & Crafts style. The cutting board has a raised han...
Category

Mid-20th Century English Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Oak

Medium Sized Hand Grain Painted Folk Art Bookcase
Located in Hopewell, NJ
Charming hand grain painted folk art small to medium sized bookshelf. Great in a bathroom!
Category

1970s American Vintage Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Wood

Exceptional Painted Bookcase with Gold Leaf Carvings
Located in Albignasego, IT
Exceptional bookcase painted in blue and red with gold leaf carvings. Two large side pillars, with richly carved scrolls, lacquered and gilded wi...
Category

1810s Italian Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Fir

19th Century SE Asian Highly Carved Wooden and Gilded Floor Case
Located in Dallas, TX
19th century SE Asian highly carved wooden and gilded floor or wall case featuring Hindu gods. Outstanding and very rare, large and impressive piece!! Mid-19th century, circa 1850 ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Cambodian Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Gold Leaf

Tramp Art Step Back Cabinet
Located in Aurora, OR
This beautifully refined tramp art cabinet is a show stopper. With its elegantly stenciled glass doors and delicate upper gallery rail, this is a pie...
Category

Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Glass, Wood

Swedish Craft, Bookcase, Pine, Nails, 19th Century Sweden
Located in High Point, NC
An antique shelf or bookcase / apothecary cabinet. Produced in Sweden 19th century. Likely originally placed atop another cabinet.
Category

19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Pine

Folk Art Outsider Screen Room Divider Shelf Studio Indian Modern
Located in Ft Lauderdale, FL
Folk Art screen, room divider or shelf reclaimed studio Indian modern A one-off design by Calcutta, India-based artist P. Mohanta. Purchased in earl...
Category

Late 20th Century Indian Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Wood

Folk Art "Picassiette" Deux-Corps, France, 19th Century
Located in Isle Sur La Sorgue, Vaucluse
Rare and unusual dresser decorated with colorful bits of broken porcelain -- in typical French Folk Art tradition, but unusual on a piece of this size ...
Category

19th Century French Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Related Items
Large Antique Victorian Quality Carved Oak Open Bookcase
Located in Suffolk, GB
Large antique Victorian quality carved oak open bookcase having a quality oak top with a carved edge, carved frieze above an open bookcase wit...
Category

1880s English Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Oak

English Pine Step Back Cabinet
Located in Wilson, NC
The upper half of this stepback cabinet has two doors and center panel that slides to the right for access when the right door is open. All have the o...
Category

1890s English Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Pine

  • English Pine Step Back Cabinet
  • English Pine Step Back Cabinet
  • English Pine Step Back Cabinet
  • English Pine Step Back Cabinet
H 52 in W 51 in D 17.5 in
Antique English Break-Front Bibliotheque Bookcase in Mahogany, circa 1870
By S.E. & R. Johnson. Warrington
Located in Miami, FL
A handsome and very well crafted English break-front bookcase or bibliotheque in solid mahogany by S.E. & R. Johnson of Warrington, England, circa 1870. Features six doors with glass panels in the upper section over a base with ten drawers on each side, flanking a middle section consisting of three doors with wooden panels. There are two adjustable shelves in each of the three upper sections, with a total of ten interior drawers. Original tear-drop pulls on doors turn to release a lever allowing the doors to be opened with the pulls as well as locked, a most unusual and attractive feature. All of the hardware is original to the bookcase including the locks. Comes with working locks and keys. Measurements: 13' 8 1/2" long x 21 1/2" - 27 1/2" deep x 101" high (8'5" high) All of the drawers are stamped with the cabinetmaker's stamp, "S.E. & R. (Ralph) Johnson, Warrington". This fine bookcase was manufactured prior to 1880 in Warrington in Cheshire, England. While information is scant, it would seem that S. E. would have been Ralph's father's workshop listed at 78 Bridge Street in Warrington, England, circa 1878. Ralph would have likely been an apprentice at that time. He opened his own workshop, presumably when his father retired. By the Edwardian period, Ralph had become a cabinet maker of some renown. Drawer locks are original and stamped "Chance Son & Co. W Chance, Son, & Co" and are listed in the 1850s directories as "Merchants and Factors" in Birmingham, England. They would have been middlemen having various merchandise made for them, primarily for export to North America. The type of locks employed in this bookcase is a lever combination lock. In the cabinet lock trade, lever locks became available circa 1855 and superseded the earlier tumbler and back-spring locks. Some points about the breakfront to note are that it is made entirely out of solid mahogany which is unusual; there are no veneers. Even the drawer sides, backs and bottoms are made of mahogany. The interior wood, i.e., the back and the insides of the cabinet is pine. One of the great features is that the upper door hardware has a dead latch that operates with the tear drop pull. You can lock the doors, but if you don't want to lock them, you can use the tear drop pull to operate the dead latch to open and close by turning it to the right. There are 20 exterior drawers and 8 interior drawers. Lower cabinets each have 1 fixed shelf; upper cabinets have 2 adjustable shelves each. There are enough extra original cast iron shelf...
Category

1870s English Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Mahogany

Modular bookcase series "selex" production IMB , 1970's
By IBM
Located in taranto, IT
Original modular hybrid shop from the 1960s, IMB "selex" series production, made of teak on a black lacquered metal structure Composed of 12 shelves that can be moved at will and ...
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Metal

Antique Large 19th Century Carved Oak Glazed Bookcase
Located in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
Antique large fine quality 19th century carved oak glazed bookcase C1895. This is a lovely quality bookcase, that is full of age, charm and character. Solid, with no loose join...
Category

1890s Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Oak

Early 20th Century French Pine Wood Bibliotheque, 1900s
Located in LEGNY, FR
Early 20th century French "pitch pine" wood bibliotheque in three parts removable. Four ornaments at the top which can be removable. (You can see only two ornaments on the picture b...
Category

Early 20th Century French Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Pine, Glass

Antique French Renaissance Revival Carved Oak Bibliotheque Bookcase Cabinet
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous French Renaissance Revival bibliotheque bookcase cabinet France, Circa 1900 Carved oak, with glass front doors. Cabinet locks, and key is included. Measures: 53"W...
Category

Early 20th Century French Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Glass, Oak

19th Century Swedish Gustavian Style Pine Library Bibliotheque Bookcase
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Grand 19th century Swedish Gustavian style library bibliotheque two-part bookcase cabinet crafted from pine. The upper case features a large corniced gable roof decorated with acanthus scrolls. Fronted by four large doors with chicken wire windows opening to a large six shelf interior. The lower sideboard has matching doors...
Category

19th Century European Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Brass, Wire

Pair of Bookcase Cabinets, circa 1860, France
Located in Girona, Spain
Pair of bookcase cabinets. Made with walnut. Very decorative piece with elephants carved in the wood. Three shelves made with glass. Very...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Walnut

French Art Deco Cabinet or Bookcase
Located in Porto, PT
Art Deco rosewood cabinet or bookcase or cabinet with multiple shelves.  
Category

1930s French Vintage Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Brass

  • French Art Deco Cabinet or Bookcase
  • French Art Deco Cabinet or Bookcase
  • French Art Deco Cabinet or Bookcase
  • French Art Deco Cabinet or Bookcase
H 70.87 in W 79.14 in D 17.72 in
Pine Step Back Cupboard
Located in Wilson, NC
This pine step back cupboard is made of heart pine and has traces of the original red paint remaining all-over. There is exposed wooden peg and mort...
Category

1830s Russian Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Brass

  • Pine Step Back Cupboard
  • Pine Step Back Cupboard
  • Pine Step Back Cupboard
  • Pine Step Back Cupboard
H 65 in W 35.5 in D 17.5 in
Fabulous Mid-Century Bar Cabinet Attr. to Paolo Buffa, 1950
Located in Rome, IT
Mahogany , Italy, 1950s Elegant Italian bar cabinet in Mahogany wood and brass decoration. Centered part with mirrored glass . attributed to Paolo Buffa, 1940. Lower part with ...
Category

1950s Italian Vintage Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Brass

Previously Available Items
Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson Folk Art Carved Oak Desk Top Book Trough or Stand
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
This solid oak desk top book trough was made by the renowned English furniture maker Robert 'Mouseman' Thompson in his signature Arts & Crafts style. The stand is entirely composed o...
Category

Mid-20th Century English Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Oak

Folk Art Outsider Screen Room Divider Reclaimed Studio Indian Modern One off
Located in Ft Lauderdale, FL
Folk Art outsider screen room divider reclaimed studio Indian modern one-off design by Calcutta, India artisan P. Mohanta. Purchased from Calcutta gallery comprised of found objects,...
Category

Late 20th Century Indian Folk Art Bookcases

19th Century Folky Inlaid Bible Box
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This 19th century bible box is all handcrafted and hand inlaid pieces on the cover. The key hole is a hand-carved white heart. The condition is ...
Category

Early 20th Century American Folk Art Bookcases

Materials

Wood

Swedish Bookcase Ladder, 19th Century, Sweden
Located in New York, NY
A Swedish bookcase ladder made during the 19th century in Sweden. Made from pine.   
Category

Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Bookcases

Folk Art bookcases for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique folk art bookcases for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Late 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage bookcases created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include case pieces and storage cabinets, folk art, asian art and furniture and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with wood, softwood and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Folk Art bookcases made in a specific country, there are Europe, Asia, and Cambodia pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original bookcases, popular names associated with this style include and Robert Thompson. 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 bookcases differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $799 and tops out at $42,712 while the average work can sell for $3,195.

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