Gorgeous Primitive Hand-carved Carding or Flax Comb folk artist and Division

and Division

illustrations including for several children's books) are held in the collections of the Whitney Museum

there are hand-written numbers on each of their legs suggesting they might be two of a series made (

Based in Girard

Gorgeous Primitive Hand-carved Carding or Flax Comb folk artist and DivisionIt's the completely irregularly shaped heads of the hand forged nail teeth on this old comb that really get me, lined up in a wonderfully gnarly row and giving it some real bite. And held in those teeth on the other side is what I'd have to guess is hardened fat from combing flax or hemp or wool? I know there are plenty of combs and hetchels etc out there, but to my eye the super primitiveness of this particular tool makes it a very singular and quite