Folk Art Furniture
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.
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood, Paper
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Brass
1830s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century Turkish Folk Art Furniture
Wool
Early 1900s German Antique Folk Art Furniture
Porcelain, Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
Wool
1840s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century Turkish Folk Art Furniture
Wool
1930s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Glass
1940s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Metal, Steel, Iron
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine, Paint
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Furniture
Mirror, Wood
20th Century Italian Folk Art Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Ecuadorean Folk Art Furniture
Leather, Oak
1930s Unknown Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Wood, Masonite, Paint
Early 20th Century British Folk Art Furniture
Brass, Lead
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1840s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Oak, Paper
Mid-20th Century Turkish Folk Art Furniture
Wool
Mid-20th Century English Folk Art Furniture
Glass, Hardwood
1790s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1840s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
Resin, Fiberglass, Paint
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Mid-20th Century Canadian Folk Art Furniture
Wood
20th Century Mexican Folk Art Furniture
Tin
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Early 20th Century Israeli Folk Art Furniture
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Japanese Folk Art Furniture
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Copper
Late 20th Century Folk Art Furniture
Ceramic, Pottery
1990s Cuban Folk Art Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
Wicker, Rattan, Wood
1950s Swedish Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Hardwood, Pine
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine, Paint
1840s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
1870s French Antique Folk Art Furniture
Boxwood
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
Shell
1840s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
1960s Mexican Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Wood
19th Century American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Shell, Wood
19th Century Dutch Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Bentwood, Pine
Early 20th Century Turkish Folk Art Furniture
Silk
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine, Paint
Early 20th Century German Folk Art Furniture
Glass
1910s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Composition
20th Century German Folk Art Furniture
Composition
20th Century Spanish Folk Art Furniture
Terracotta, Earthenware, Pottery
Early 20th Century British Folk Art Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Persian Folk Art Furniture
Wool
Early 20th Century Turkish Folk Art Furniture
Cotton
Early 19th Century Scandinavian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1850s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
Early 19th Century Canadian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Early 20th Century Norwegian Folk Art Furniture
Bentwood, Pine
Early 20th Century Danish Folk Art Furniture
Elm
21st Century and Contemporary American Folk Art Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
1950s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1950s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Cameroonian Folk Art Furniture
Clay, Beads
1870s British Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1910s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Mid-20th Century Guatemalan Folk Art Furniture
Pine
19th Century American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood
20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
Oak