The Scott County Historical Society recently received a donation of folk art created during World War II in Shakopee. The art is a beautiful example of how people during such a hard time in history found a way to still create art. Whittling is the act of carving wooden shapes and designs with a knife. It is an art that requires similar skills to sculpting, and the pieces are art below are works of patience and dedication. All of these items were carved using only a small carving knife, which is remarkable when considering the detail work involved.
This ax is about 14 inches long and has a carve ax head and handle that are then fitted together.
The teeth of this saw are broken because the donor, when she was a child, believed it to be a real saw and tried to cut something with it with her brother.
The links in this chain are all independent, carved one at a time and then separated to be linked together without breaking the rings.
Written by Dave Nichols, Curator of Collections