Harriett Bailem Brown

Brown was no stranger to sweetgrass basketmaking. She was part of a family of eight generations of basket makers, with four of those generations still practicing today. Harriet made baskets for over fifty-five years and learned the process from a variety of family members. Great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, and her mother all had a role in teaching the young Harriet to make the popular lowcountry baskets. Her mother took her first basket to the Market in Charleston and sold it for twenty-five cents. That quarter gave Harriet the encouragement to keep making baskets.

NOTE: Video transcripts are available for the videos below.