"Frying' Pan Jack" Tramp Art

This photo shows Fryin' Pan Jack in 1973 at a rail yard in Albert Lee, Minnesota. 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. Tramp art is an art form that uses raw materials, or waste materials, such as discardded cigar boxes. Some of defining characteristics of tramp art include chip or notch carving, the reclaimation of cheap or available wood such as that from cigar boxes and shipping crates, the use of simple tools such as penknives, and the layering of materials into geometric shapes through glue or nails.