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The Ferns

Scees Bryant Possock Native American
ca. 1904
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Scees Bryant Possock, sister-in-law and close associate of master basket weaver Louisa Keyser, was an outstanding basket maker in her own right. Working side by side with Keyser while she was weaving Beacon Lights, Possock achieved a perfect balance and form in the shaping of this small basket, The Ferns. The delicacy of Possock’s stitching and her adept design sense are equal to Keyser’s, and it can be difficult to distinguish the work of one weaver from the other.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Ferns
  • Artist: Scees Bryant Possock (Native American, Washoe, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, ca. 1858–1918)
  • Date: ca. 1904
  • Geography: United States, Nevada
  • Culture: Washoe
  • Medium: Willow, western redbud, bracken fern root
  • Dimensions: H. 7 1/2 × Diam. 10 1/2 in. (19.1 × 26.7 cm)
  • Classifications: Basketry, Basketry-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection, Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY (T0752)
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing