Folky Homemade Bookshelf with Carved Squirrels clever drawings Isobel Field

Isobel Field

I would guess it was made in the mid-20th century and believe it was made in Benin

but it's the flip side that is the really special one to me

just a couple of other examples of his work—but what a lovely little quail I think this is

giving "my girl" a certain elusiveness

Folky Homemade Bookshelf with Carved Squirrels clever drawings Isobel FieldI found this one at Brimfield in the booth of a delightful seller who always has charming things; it was filled end to end with a bunch of old children's books, but happily she was willing to relocate those into a big pile and let me steal the shelf away, as I'm pretty smitten with these squirrels! Made with lots of love I'd bet by a parent or grandparent as a gift for a young child in the 1940s or 50s, with mellow gold paint on the exterior of the