Browse Items (374 total)

  • Tags: history

Wooden cigar box

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Geometric shapes, woodworking, tramp art-style. Widespread use of wooden cigar boxes in the 1850s sparked involvement in tramp art.

Small wooden tools

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Rivaling a Swiss army knife and carved from a single piece of wood. Hoboes' ability to carve is most evidenced by their monikers, or nicknames, carved like tradesmarks on railroad sheds. Most pieces lack identification. A token or tinket a hobo might…

Frying' Pan Jack picture frame

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Photo shows Fryin' Pan Jack in 1973 at Albert Lee (Alfred Lee), MN railroad yard. The chip art frame was made by a hobo. Tramp art is a style of woodworking which emerged in America the latter half of the nineteenth century. Some of tramp art's…

Cigarette box

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Color description: orange, geometric shapes and patterns

Matchstick house

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Delicate tramp art made from used matches and glue. Artist created a representation of a slave house build on wealthy plantation.

Hobo bottlecap figure

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Tramp art, small figure of hobo with arms made from bottlecaps. Small box of mismatch items is a part of the hobo figure.

Inquiry 1973 for hobo king

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List of 103 questions given to candidates for hobo king. Used to determine authenticity of hoboing.

Hobo Foundation letter

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Letter sent from Concord, Vermont. Text lists Steamtrain Maury as President, Hood River Blackie as Vice President and Feather River John as Secretary-Treasurer. Correspondence of Hood River Blackie's death.

"How It All Began" pamphlet

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Brief history of the Britt Hobo Convetion and Tourists Union 63, beginning in 1900.