French la Vie

Last weekend, at the brocante fair, at the old station in Carpentras, a brocante dealer unloaded his van that was stuffed with these baskets. As I watched him unloaded his van, I was curious thinking that I had never seen demi-john covers made out of wooden strips, as they are usually made of metal, let alone have such interesting tops. So I asked him if they were demi-john covers and he said no they are not.

I was stumped, and thrilled as I took out my phone to take a photo for the

French Antique Guessing Game.

The large baskets were 25 Euros for one, and of course a better price for a group of them. I thought of all the ways they could be used decoratively in a home, but since I did not have room to store a van full of baskets, I passed them by. Without a doubt they vanished all over the world before the end of the brocante fair. To think that these were made a very long time ago, used often, stacked and cared for, until laws came in saying that plastic was more hygienic for consumer's health then wooden crates. It doesn't matter that lack of beauty is an eye sore. It doesn't matter that introducing plastic has put wooden boxes, baskets, hemp sacks and these lettuce carrying baskets aside. Then one day someone comes along and gets rid of the stash of history that is in the corner of a barn, or attic. Hopefully, they are sold and passed on and not thrown away.

POOF gone, part of French history and culture spreading joy throughout the world.

Certainly, some of these will become lanterns for a chic restaurant, and those dining underneath them will think they are hip cool, probably assuming they were massed produced in China. 

So even though many of you thought they had something to do with fishing, shellfish, wine, or fowl… It was Sally at Dovetail Antiques who guessed correctly,

"Lettuce Baskets."

Thank you Sally.

The creative winners are

Nancy O. who said they were, "Cupcake holders".

and 

Joan who wrote: