Firkin Basket - Randall Whitted

Firkin Basket
Capturing a Curious History
Longaberger artisans draw inspiration from the curiosities of life,
applying their depth of knowledge and unparalleled expertise to
create artistic interpretations in their own art form—baskets.
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One of Great Britain’s most loved cultural contributions
to modern society is the pub, or public house, where
people meet at the end of the day to drink, tell stories
and sing. Probably in that order. Drinking songs and
limericks grew more amusing as the ale flowed and the
crowd grew, but the story of the firkin that held the ale
really is quite a tale of its own.
Firkin Tapping
The word “firkin” comes from the middle-Dutch
word “vierdekijn (VEERD-kin), meaning fourth, as
in fourth of a barrel…as in barrel of beer. Around 31
gallons of beer. The British likely kidnapped the word
as a unit of measurement when the Dutch introduced
beer to England in the 15th century—beer being
Fickle Firkin
How big is a firkin? That depends. A British firkin today
is 9 imperial gallons of beer or ale, or about 10.8
American gallons. But it wasn’t always so. Clever
brewers fudged the size of their containers at times,
realizing that a falsely filled firkin bore financial
fruits. A fickle firkin? Unfortunately.
In attempts to standardize, the firkin ranged
in measurement from 8 to 9 gallons,
depending on the year and the ruling king.
In 1517, the measurement was ruled thus:
“And viii galons to the ale ffyrkyn.”
And in 1600 the relations were clarified:
“Now above a gallone, the next mesure
is a ferkyne a Tercian, a kylderkyne
or halfe barrelle.”
ale with hops in the proper measurement (they had
In 1816, after several changes no one could
plenty of ale, but hadn’t yet perfected beer).
really explain, measurements were set forth
It wasn’t long before beer became the drink of
in writing again:
choice over ale, and “firkin” became a common,
“Since the establishment of the Imperial system the firkin
much-loved word. You see, no one taps a “firkin
of beer has been reckoned at 9 gallons everywhere in the
of beer.” They tap a firkin, as if a firkin were a
United Kingdom except in Ireland, 8 gal.”
fruit that bleeds beer when you poke it.
Today, the volume of a firkin of beer has been standardized,
but a firkin of anything else can be just about any size.
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The Sober Firkin
The Longaberger Collectors Club Firkin Basket was inspired by the same
Southern German and Swiss “Dutch” who introduced beer to the British.
They used firkin buckets when immigrating to America in the late 1600’s.
Settling in Pennsylvania, they became the Pennsylvania Dutch, known for,
among many other things, their handy firkin buckets full of sugar, butter,
soap, fish or other perishables.
They added artwork when paint became more affordable in the mid-1800’s,
also painting their doors and barns. To modern collectors in the Northeast,
a good painted firkin, often called a “sugar bucket,” is a happy find when
gently aged. Square nails or copper tacks in the binding fingers date them
before the late 1800’s, with metal staples used near the turn of the century.
A Modern Collectible
Longaberger Basket designers and weavers have a unique ability to interpret
American classics into baskets—the Bird House Basket, Beehive Basket and
Watermelon Basket, to name a few.
The Longaberger Firkin Basket is the same shape as the smaller Pennsylvania
As paint became
Dutch-style firkin often used for sugar—wider at the base, narrower at
more affordable
the top with a handle and lid. Like its historic counterpart, the basket uses
in the mid-1800’s,
copper tacks, with copper rivets to secure the handle. Primitive firkins
were made with oak, but the Firkin Basket is woven with maple, following
Longaberger Basket tradition.
The colors of this beautiful basket are straight from the Autumn Woods
collection, with a lid by Longaberger Illustrator David Neer, inspired by
used it liberally
to express their
heritage and
decorate their
barns. The Firkin
Basket Lid is a fall
German-style barn stars and hex signs. Like the sugar buckets of old, the
interpretation of hex
Firkin Basket can be used for many things, and looks perfect atop a stack
signs often found in
of historic firkin buckets. It may not do well with beer, but “sugar basket”
sounds pretty sweet.
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German immigrants
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the Pennsylvania
Dutch region.
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