The Wanderer
July 17, 2016
What makes a small woven basket worth thousands of dollars?
Anyone who has ever watched Antiques Roadshow might quickly answer “the age of the piece.” But in the case of a small handcrafted basket from Mattapoisett, the answer would be “time, intricacy, uniqueness, and beauty.”
Gladys Ellis was a well-known Mattapoisett artisan who worked in the medium of pine needles, raffia, and ivory. Ellis not only perfected the making of Nantucket baskets, which have a very long history dating back to the 1800s, she also invented a newer style so painstakingly involved they would take months, if not years to complete. She called her creation the Mattapoisett purse.
For decades, Ellis held classes in her home at 87 North Street. Pat Goss of Mattapoisett said, “She was a great teacher, a great lady.” Goss described Ellis as a perfectionist who guided her students towards their own level of perfection.