Isabel T. Kelly: An uncommon woman who pursued an unconventional career path
By Sheryl Losser
Isabel T. Kelly, Isabel T. Kelly ethnographic archive, circa 1926 - 1980,
DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University
Considered the “Mother of Western Mexico Archaeology”, Isabel Truesdell Kelly was a social anthropologist and archaeologist who specialized in Mexican cultures. Kelly was born in Santa Cruz, California in 1906; she studied at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) receiving her B.A. in Anthropology in 1926.
Wanting to further pursue her academics she applied for graduate school but was only reluctantly admitted to the graduate program. The chairman of the department, A. L. Kroeber did not like to admit women, arguing they would find it difficult to secure academic appointments even if they completed their doctorate. This fact was later confirmed by another woman who followed in her academic footsteps ten years later.
Isabel T. Kelly and Margaret Mead began their first fieldwork three years apart but their careers took different directions. Mead pursued her work in anthropology, doing her early fieldwork in Samoa. Kelly’s true love was archaeology. She did her first fieldwork studying the Coast Miwok and Southern Paiute tribes in the southwestern United States.
Kelly begins her first fieldwork
Kelly packs up her car for her first fieldwork to study the Coast Miwok and Southern Paiute.
Isabel T. Kelly ethnographic archive, circa 1926 - 1980, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University
Kelly packed up her car and set off on her adventure with enthusiasm and tenacity, having dreamed for years of doing actual fieldwork. Kelly was an indefatigable field worker, often finding herself in rigorous and challenging situations. She not only studied the tribes writing very detailed studies, but she also became a prolific letter writer. Her correspondence vividly describes her travels and travails while conducting her fieldwork. Through her letters, we get a glimpse of her marvelous wit and unique flair for language.