Hand Carved Wood Aircraft Carrier USS Lexington w Biplanes- Sunk WWII - Folk Art

Description

This listing is for an authentic hand made replica of the U.S.S. Lexington. The actual date of the folk art model is unknown, but narrowed down to the time the artist was most likely hospitalized between 1930 and 1940. The artist, Steve Petitte, was an Italian man who was recovering at the St Margaret's Hospital in Spring Valley, ILL. when he made this and one of the U.S.S. Chicago. These ship models were purchased from the son of Mr. Petitte over 20 years ago by a collector. The son indicated that his father made them while he was rehabilitating and there are labels on the bottom with his name and the hospital name. There are, however, no dates.  According to Census records, Mr. Petitte was a Zinc worker in 1920 and "crippled" for life in 1930 so, I can only infer that the carvings were done sometime after the ship was built and while he was in the hospital.
The model measures 20 inches long by 3 inches wide and 6 inches at the highest point. There are 31 planes and 8 life boats carved in addition to gun turrets and command center.  There is a great bit of detail in this work of art. Please feel free to ask questions and I will be happy to provide additional photos if requested.
The U.S.S. Lexington, originally commissioned as a WWI battleship, was reconfigured to a large fleet aircraft carrier after the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 placed restrictions on the battleships. The Lexington was sunk during WWII and located March 4, 2018 in the Coral Sea.
The collector has commissioned me to liquidate some of his more interesting items. I will be listing them in addition to the U.S.S. Chicago model in the near future.
This item will be shipped USPS Priority Mail Insured. Insurance and handling is included in the shipping cost.
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Many of the items I list are for consignors in my historic packing house store. Olde Tyme Florida in McIntosh, Florida contains 6,000 square feet of antique and vintage “stuff.”
Our family has over 50 years of experience in antiques. We have been a member of the eBay experience since its beginning in addition to our family run business.