Rare Antique Whirligig Wind Spinner Handmade Folk Art Americana Wooden Soldier

Rare hand-carved antique whirligig wind spinner, possibly from the 19^th century.

The exact age of this whirligig is unknown but another listing of an almost identical item by a person with many years of experience with collectibles estimated the era to be from the mid to late 1800's to the very early 1900's.

The wooden soldier’s arms rotate with the wind on an axle that connects the arms to the body at the shoulders.

Dimensions:

10” H with stand

3.5” W with stand

1 ¾” D with stand.

Whirligigs from this period are rare. Since these items were kept in the wind and weather not many have survived to this day and age.

See some background below from Wikipedia:

By the latter half of the 19thcentury, constructing wind-driven whirligigs had become a pastime and art form…Unfortunately, both the exposure to the weather and the fragile nature of whirligigs means very few wind-driven whirligigs from this era survive. The period between 1880 and 1900 brought rapid geographic expansion of whirligigs across the US. After1900, production seemed for the most part to center on the southern Appalachians. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whirligig

The feet are missing and the smile is a bit faded. The stand has some paint loss. See photos.

Otherwise in very good condition for its age.