country with other competition winners as part of a traveling exhibit. Whitten’s basket was purchased by the Smithsonian for its permanent collection. Whitten also wrote extensively about Nantucket baskets, which has been
important to preserving the history of this unique craft. Today the lightship basket influence can
be seen in jewelry, cribs, bike baskets and all sorts of decorative pieces sold on and off
island. Yours truly even owns a pair of tall
José Reyes, a Filipino with an Education degree from Harvard, who served in the U.S. Navy fighting the Japanese and then after the war immigrated to Nantucket where his wife’s family had a home. Unable to find a job in education, he repaired cane furniture and learned to make Nantucket lighthouse style baskets. Reyes is credited in 1948 for adding a top to the lightship basket and turning it into a purse for women.These purses, later known as “friendship purses,” quickly became de rigour for well-to-do summer residents. Reyes later included ivory carvings to adorn the purse tops. Rumor has it the name originated when a woman carrying one of Reyes’ purses while visiting
handsome lamps modeled on the classic Nantucket Basket.There’s even an auction market for exceptional baskets woven on Nantucket. A recent piece went for more than $100,000. Who’d have thunk it?
Paris noticed another woman with the same purse. She yelled out “Friendship!” and the two strangers became lifelong friends linked by their shared love of Nantucket. Paul Whitten, another basket maker, helped elevate artistic appreciation for the Nantucket basket when he was invited in 1974 by the Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery to submit one of his pieces in a national arts and crafts competition. His basket was selected to appear in the gallery and then tour the
To view this article online, visit marinalife.com/NantucketBaskets
NANTUCKET LIGHTHOUSE BASKET MUSEUM
If you’re visiting Nantucket and want to delve deeper into the history of these unique baskets and learn more about their makers, you won’t want to miss the Nantucket Lighthouse Basket Museum. It features a permanent collection of baskets, special exhibits and basket weaving classes. The museum website also has a variety of
fascinating videos, including an interview with noted basket weaver José Reyes.
Location: 96 Main St., Nantucket, MA 02554
Hours: May 28 – October 17, open daily 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. nantucketlightshipbasketmuseum.org
The author and Nantucket basket lamp
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SPRING 2022
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