Nantucket is a small island in the Atlantic Ocean located 30 miles (~50 kilometers) off the coast of Massachusetts’s Cape Cod. The name translates to “a far island” in Wampanoag, one of the tribes of indigenous peoples local to New England. Nantucket baskets were born on this island. Until the beginning of the 17th century when the English landed and established a Quaker settlement, the island was a quiet home to solely the indigenous people. It is said that the studiousness of the Quakers led them to success in whaling. The island, featured in Herman Melville’s famed novel Moby-Dick, prospered as one of the most successful whaling bases in the 17th to 18th century. The whalers traveled to the other side of the Earth visiting faraway waters from the Sea of Japan to the Indian Ocean. Nantucket baskets were made from rattan that the whalers brought back from the Philippines which met with their existing manufacturing techniques for whale oil barrels.
Nantucket is a small island in the Atlantic Ocean located 30 miles (~50 kilometers) off the coast of Massachusetts’s Cape Cod. The name translates to “a far island” in Wampanoag, one of the tribes of indigenous peoples local to New England. Nantucket baskets were born on this island. Until the beginning of the 17th century when the English landed and established a Quaker settlement, the island was a quiet home to solely the indigenous people. It is said that the studiousness of the Quakers led them to success in whaling. The island, featured in Herman Melville’s famed novel Moby-Dick, prospered as one of the most successful whaling bases in the 17th to 18th century. The whalers traveled to the other side of the Earth visiting faraway waters from the Sea of Japan to the Indian Ocean. Nantucket baskets were made from rattan that the whalers brought back from the Philippines which met with their existing manufacturing techniques for whale oil barrels.
Quakers and other British protestant colonists who moved to the island first started sheep farming. The island’s economy gradually shifted to whaling as people started to look to exploit the abundant natural local whale population. The skillful hands of the Nantucketers were well suited to making barrels for whale oil.
Quakers and other British protestant colonists who moved to the island first started sheep farming. The island’s economy gradually shifted to whaling as people started to look to exploit the abundant natural local whale population. The skillful hands of the Nantucketers were well suited to making barrels for whale oil.
Whaling greatly enriched the island. The whaling industry became the center of their lifestyle for many decades to come. The wealth it generated is comparable to that of oil in the present-day. Houses were built big, and the economy was its zenith. However, it did not take too long before other ports took the place of Nantucket as the premier whaling centers for their superior size and geographical advantages.
Whaling greatly enriched the island. The whaling industry became the center of their lifestyle for many decades to come. The wealth it generated is comparable to that of oil in the present-day. Houses were built big, and the economy was its zenith. However, it did not take too long before other ports took the place of Nantucket as the premier whaling centers for their superior size and geographical advantages.
Nantucket is surrounded by shallows, the tide is fast, and the sea is very dangerous. The shallows around the island are known as ship graves as they appear and disappear amidst tides and storms. Additionally, the dense fog that covers the island 40% of the year is another deadly hazard. The island’s soft foundation of sand made building a lighthouse to aid incoming naval traffic difficult so an alternative solution was found in the creation of a “lightship”. This lightship was anchored offshore and was manned by a keeper at all times. The keepers of the lightship generally consisted of barrel makers and it is said that the basket making tradition started from what the barrel makers produced during their hours of lightship keeping. The official name of the basket is the “Nantucket lightship basket” referencing its origins on the lightship and its evolution from the oil barrels made there.
After a while New Bedford took Nantucket’s position as the premier whaling location due to its safer waters as Nantucket’s shallow port posed a risk for modern ships weighed down with lots of oil. Commodore Matthew Perry, the American from New Bedford who forced Japan to open their ports to the United States, sought to establish a base in Japan to gain access to the treasure trove of sperm whales in the Sea of Japan. Nantucket had been forgotten to time until it became popular in the 20th century as a summer resort. During Nantucket’s time of relative obscurity, the basket making tradition passed through many different hands and gradually evolved into its current day iteration. This was when the famous bag shaped baskets were born.
After a while New Bedford took Nantucket’s position as the premier whaling location due to its safer waters as Nantucket’s shallow port posed a risk for modern ships weighed down with lots of oil. Commodore Matthew Perry, the American from New Bedford who forced Japan to open their ports to the United States, sought to establish a base in Japan to gain access to the treasure trove of sperm whales in the Sea of Japan. Nantucket had been forgotten to time until it became popular in the 20th century as a summer resort. During Nantucket’s time of relative obscurity, the basket making tradition passed through many different hands and gradually evolved into its current day iteration. This was when the famous bag shaped baskets were born.
Jose Reyes, a Filipino married to a Nantucketer, developed this original covered purse design while studying with Mitchell Ray. These became immensely popular. The design was such a conversation starter that the baskets became known as “Nantucket friendship baskets” for the amount of friendships sparked by people asking after them. These are the origins of the different Nantucket basket names: the Nantucket basket, the Nantucket lightship basket, and the Nantucket friendship basket. Later, as Nantucket became a popular summer resort for the wealthy who would visit the island via private jet or yacht), the basket grew in popularity among them as a status symbol.
But how did Nantucket become a wealthy resort? It is said the English who moved to the island created an insular community in which they poured their love and labor into making something that they had great pride in. In the dialogue of Melville’s Moby-Dick we can see examples of the assumed superiority that Nantucketers showed when looking down at those from outside the island. In the whaling world whether you were a Nantucketer or not was crucial.
The island built enormous wealth through whaling as evident in some of the massive old estates of its residents. These properties were further aggrandized by the lavish unrestrained spending of the spouses staying home on the island. The pride of the Nantucketers defined the island. People with different jobs lived in different areas of the island like the captains who resided on Orange Street. Pleasant Street was for the owners of the whaling ships, and Union Street housed the shipmates. On your next visit to Nantucket keep a little bit of its history in mind and you’ll see it in an entirely different light.
