This picture, created in the late 19th century in Lithuania, was a common form of straw art for the region. This type of work has sometimes been called "poor people's gilding". You can see how the shiny golden surface of the straws can give the impression of being covered in gold metallic gilding. Straws were split and flattened. They were then applied to a surface and tooled much the same way as leather. All information, photographs and other artwork contained in this site are Copyrighted by The American Museum of Straw Art. Reproduction of any material is prohibited without prior written permission.