Elsie Watty

Description

This undated photograph by an unknown photographer depicts basket weaver Elsie Watty separating white oak into splits in preparation for making a basket. Her daughter, Rebecca stands watching. Elsie Welch Watty (1935-2016) was a master Cherokee basket weaver who specialized in making white oak baskets and was known for creating her own designs. She lived and worked on the Galamore Branch in the Big Cove community near Cherokee. Although her mother and grandmother each wove baskets, neither of them taught her the craft. Instead, she learned by observation and began to make baskets when she was ten years old. In 1977 her work was exhibited at the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual artisan cooperative. While she was an active basket weaver, she is said to have made 100 baskets a year.
Details
- Creator
  - Unknown
- Format
  - Photographs
- Type
  - StillImage
- Date
  - Date digitized: 2009-01-15
- Extent
  - Dimension: 10" x 8"
- Subject - Topic
- Location
  - Qualla Boundary
  - Appalachian Region, Southern
- Source institution
  - Western Carolina University
- Source Collection
  - Photograph Collection
- Identifier
  - MCI_CH_162
- Repository
  - Museum of the Cherokee People

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