The People:
Nancy Bradley

Nancy Bradley’s name is often associated with high quality basketry. “She was the best…Her work was exquisite,” one craft shop owner recalled. 1 Nancy George Bradley (1881-1963) made baskets all of her life, selling them to neighbors and local businesses in trade for groceries. She was married to Henry Bradley, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band from 1947 until 1951. The couple had 8 children. Their youngest daughter Rowena was also a renowned basket weaver. Even though Bradley was born before Cherokee became a tourist town and did not speak English, her baskets received acclaim. She was included in Rodney Leftwich’s Arts and Crafts of the Cherokee and Sarah Hill’s, Weaving New Worlds: Southeastern Cherokee Women and their Basketry. Bradley was one of only a few weavers who knew how to make traditional doubleweave baskets.

Read more about Nancy Bradley on the Cherokee Traditions website.