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.
1940s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Pottery
1870s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wool
20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
Shell
20th Century English Folk Art Furniture
Brass, Copper
1930s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin
Early 19th Century French Antique Folk Art Furniture
Faience
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
Iron
20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
19th Century French Antique Folk Art Furniture
Straw
1930s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin, Steel
1870s American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood, Leather
1970s Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Paper
1930s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Iron
1880s Bajan Antique Folk Art Furniture
Shell
Early 1800s Dutch Antique Folk Art Furniture
Delft
1930s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin
19th Century American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Folk Art Furniture
Ebony
1960s Japanese Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin
1930s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin
Late 19th Century American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Brass, Copper
1920s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin
1930s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin
1950s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin
Early 20th Century German Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1960s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Aluminum, Iron, Tin
1830s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Creamware
1910s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Iron
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Early 1900s German Antique Folk Art Furniture
Tin
2010s American Folk Art Furniture
Stone
19th Century American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Paper
20th Century British Folk Art Furniture
Nickel
Mid-19th Century English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wool
18th Century and Earlier Irish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Pine
Mid-20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
Stone
1930s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin
Early 1900s American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Bone
1930s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Paint
1940s Japanese Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1870s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wool
19th Century Swedish Antique Folk Art Furniture
Iron
1790s Italian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1880s American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Iron
1890s American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Iron
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
Wood
19th Century European Antique Folk Art Furniture
Brass
1870s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wool
1870s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wool
1930s American Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Furniture
Pottery
1860s English Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wool
1870s Scandinavian Antique Folk Art Furniture
Birch, Pine
19th Century American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood, Paint
Early 1900s German Antique Folk Art Furniture
Tin
1890s American Antique Folk Art Furniture
Wood
1910s German Vintage Folk Art Furniture
Tin