These days, it’s rare to come across an item that’s deeply tied to a single place—especially a strip of the world as small as Nantucket. Meredith Hayden a.k.a. Wishbone Kitchen, an influencer and cookbook author, was on TikTok. Wishbone Kitchen on TikTok, haul her latest antique find I became obsessed earlier this summer with rattan, sperm whales and all things related.
The Nantucket Lightship basket bag, I’ve come to learn, is like a Birkin for Nantucketers—and, depending on the year in which it was made, can go for as much as $5,000. According to the Nantucket Historical AssociationThe authentic Lightship bags are made using a mold. They feature cane weaving over rattan and have a solid base. The “friendship baskets,” as coined by legendary maker José Formoso Reyes, feature lids with ivory, ebony, or mahogany carvings of whales, scallop shells, or seagulls.
The history of the bag
Bags were used by the Wampanoag, the original inhabitants of Nantucket Island. They made them from wooden splints to store and carry items in the field. Many believe that early whale-hunters developed the technique to carve ivory or bone. But the basket became synonymous with the first American Lightships of the mid-19th Century, which warned other vessels of the dangerous shoal areas around the Island. Thomas S. James was the captain of the South Shoal Lightship during the 1860s. He introduced basket-weaving on the ship to keep himself entertained.
Early in the 20th century the government outlawed Lightship Basket Weaving, calling it moonlighting. Eventually, the craft made its way to shore where it was handed down from weaver-to-weaver. It was José Formoso Reyes who revolutionized the technique by turning the basket into a purse and adding a lid in the 1940s. Originating from the PhilippinesReyes attended Harvard University. He later served during World War II. After the liberation in 1945 of the Philippines, Reyes resettled as an army captain in the US and settled with his wife’s relatives on Nantucket.
Reyes was unable to secure a teaching post due to the discrimination. He worked as a cane and rush chair repairer, and also painted houses. Reyes began weaving Lightship Baskets using the molds that Mitchell Ray had passed down to him from his father. He developed the “friendship-basket” pocketbook by incorporating ideas from local craftsman Charles Sayle. The baskets were adorned with ivory ornaments. Reyes created an estimated 5,000 hand-woven baskets before retiring in 1978. You can still find some of them (for a hefty price) on antique markets.
William Appleton and Nancy Chase are also among the early makers, as well as Paul Whitten. In the event that you find one of these creations in an antique shop, it is likely to have their names written on the wood base. It’s not uncommon for buyers to sign their names in the baskets so that the future generations inheriting the heirloom can remember the previous owner.
