"Elizabeth Hickox is considered one of the finest basket-weavers of her

time. She lived along the Salmon River in Northern California and

wove with her daughter, Louisa. The creation of a basket was a yearlong

process not limited to weaving. Each material would be gathered at a

specific time, then prepared and sorted for later incorporation into a

basket. Elizabeth wove only with materials with which she could

produce the finest product. She favored the dark contrast of fivefingered

fern (Adiantum aleuticum) with porcupine quills dyed bright

yellow with wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina). From 1911 to 1934,

Elizabeth wove about five baskets a year.

Most of the baskets Elizabeth produced were not for functional use—

cooking and ceremony—but were made as objects of art meant for display. These would be sold to dealers and local tourists to generate

income. While utilitarian baskets carried only simple design elements

and traditional forms, baskets marketed for sale possessed elaborate

designs and innovative forms in order to attract buyers. Unlike many of

the basket-weavers of the time who wove for local sale, Elizabeth sold

her works to Grace Nicholson, a dealer in Pasadena who marketed the

baskets to wealthy collectors across the country."

source: National Museum of the American Indian website