Early 20th Century Tramp Art Jewelry Box With Mirrored Lid

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This rare American Tramp Art box is a masterclass in hand-carved folk design—rich with rhythmic geometry, architectural depth, and a … Read more This rare American Tramp Art box is a masterclass in hand-carved folk design—rich with rhythmic geometry, architectural depth, and a quietly poetic presence.

Built from layered wood and carved in the classic tramp art “chip-cut” technique, the exterior forms a hypnotic pattern of stacked pyramids and sawtooth edges, giving the box a sculptural, almost Brutalist quality decades before the term existed. Every surface reveals the touch of the maker: deeply cut, repetitive, and meditatively precise.

The hinged lid opens to reveal a softly aged mirror, framed in warm wood, above a velvet-lined interior in a deep forest green—perfect for storing jewelry, love letters, or small talismans. The box stands on turned wooden feet, lifting it slightly from the surface and giving it the air of a miniature chest or reliquary.

Pieces like this were often made by itinerant craftsmen, prisoners, or self-taught makers in the late 19th to early 20th century, transforming humble cigar boxes and scrap wood into extraordinary works of personal expression. No two are ever alike—and this example, with its mirror and elevated feet, is especially desirable.

Equally at home on a dresser, bookshelf, or cocktail table, this box reads like folk art and sculpture all at once—quietly powerful, deeply tactile, and impossible to replicate. See less