Witch Figurine

New England; 1900-30; Pine; Gift of Constance McCann Betts, Helena Woolworth Guest, and Fraiser W. McCann, 1942.3808.

The wooden folk-art witch mirrors the context of its room, the pine-paneled suite Sleeper called his Red Indian Room. Like many objects at Beauport, the piece also referenced his other collections — in this case, the glass “witches’ balls” installed in Sleeper’s own bedroom. The designer’s playful references to the occult explain, in part, Beauport’s reputation as a “magical” space.