Louisa Keyser (Dat-so-la-lee)

Washoe, 1829-1925

BiographyDatsolalee, also known as Louisa Keyser (ca. 1829–1925), was a basket weaver of the southern Washoe group from the area around Carson City, Nevada. Her talent for weaving was recognized by Abe and Amy Cohn, who acted as her sponsors documenting each basket she produced and selling them to collectors. Datsolalee produced coiled baskets made of willow and used both bracken fern (black) and redbud (red) to form the design. She is most famous for developing the degikup basket style that consisted of a large spherical shaped basket with a flat base and a small opening. It is estimated that she produced nearly 300 baskets in her lifetime.” —Erin Rentz, Karuk,

Louisa acquired the surname Keyser when she married her husband Charlie Keyser. Her nom d'art was Dat So La Lee, which derives from the Washoe phrase Dats'ai-lo-lee meaning "Big Hips." Her art dealers, the Cohns, described her birth name as being Dabuda, meaning "Young Willow."

The couple began to document every basket she produced from 1895–1925. This expanded to include about 120 baskets that are documented. Most if not all of these documented baskets where sold at Cohn's Emporium, while the Cohn's providing Keyser with food, lodging, and healthcare. The supreme craftsmanship of these baskets certainly add to the value, but the Cohn's early documentation promoted her artwork. Scholars have discovered that almost everything the Cohns wrote about Keyser was an exaggeration or fabrication. Marvin Cohodas (1992). "Chapter 4. Louisa Keyser an the Cohn: Mythmaking and Basket Making in the American West". In Berlo, Janet Catherine. The Early Years of Native American Art History. Seattle: University of Washington Press. pp. 88–133.

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