SOLD 1908 Painted Folk Art Clay Pipe with Hearts and Animals and More figures in cigar box I love a little ladder

I love a little ladder

and this crusty covering to her head that makes her seem very much like a swimmer or bather

A close up view reveals the boaters to be Native American

with a satisfying tension between positive and negative space and between the larger and smaller black forms

Some toning as evident

SOLD 1908 Painted Folk Art Clay Pipe with Hearts and Animals and More figures in cigar box I love a little ladderI don't have a pipe stand so forgive the photos of this pipe, which do it no justice it's really one of my favorite things I found at Brimfield, reminding me a lot of early flash art for tattoos, and with a wonderful presence and richer color to the painting on it than photos convey. On one side it is dated 1908, with a heart below, and on the other a bird and a leaf. On the front (outside facing) end of the pipe bowl is a big red heart with an arrow