Carrie Kelty is a spalted bowl that I hand turned on my lathe from hackberry wood. For this piece I used responsibly sourced from here in Central Kentucky. Worm holes are visible on the interior and exterior of the bowl, adding to the character of this piece.

As a historical archaeologist, I research the lives of people who worked and lived in places that become my sites. I named this bowl after a woman that owned a dress shop on Jefferson Street in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, at the turn of the twentieth century. The storefront was in an old tenement building that housed several families. Several of the residents in the tenement were tailors that also worked in her dress shop. Carrie Kelty operated her shop from 1900 to 1914. Records indicate that she also became the sole supporter of her family in 1909 when she divorced her husband.

I gave this bowl Carrie’s name because the lines/structure of the bowl reminded me of dress patterns. I wanted to pay homage to a woman who owned a dress shop and “did her thing,” so to speak, during a time when many women were still considered dependent on men. I don’t know whatever happened to Carrie after 1914, but I like to think that by naming this bowl after her, history hasn’t forgotten her completely.

This spalted bowl measures approximately 5-1/2″ wide by 2-5/8″ tall with interior measurements of 4-3/4″ wide and 2-1/8″ deep. I finished the bowl with high friction polish, which brings out the natural changes in coloring, tone, and grain of the poplar wood. Additionally, care instructions are included with the purchase of this piece.

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