Bucket (or Firkin)

Bucket (or Firkin) Norwegian-American Decorated by Patricia Edmundson, c.1977 Wood (pine), paint Little Norway Collection, Gift of Scott & Jennifer Winner MHAHS 2014.050.0042

Created by Edmundson as a gift for Little Norway in the late 1970s, this wooden stave bucket, or sugar firkin, demonstrates the range of rosemaling application and the artistic infusion of ethnic identity into everyday items. Firkins store dry, nonperishable cooking materials. The fitted lid creates a tight seal, bent wooden bands provide structure and a bentwood handle offers ease for domestic transport. The rosemaling, set against a red-brown base, covers the flat lid and curved side. These elegant designs demonstrate the incorporation and significance of identity, both the celebratory and the mundane.