collection | general collection | E | EAGLIN Willie

EAGLIN Willie

[1925 (?), Washington Dc, United States]

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collection | general collection | E | EAGLIN Willie

EAGLIN Willie

[1925 (?), Washington Dc, United States]

Willie Eaglin grew up in Washington, D.C.. He left school at the age of 10 and became a shoeshiner at the airport. During Prohibition in the United States, he was caught selling alcohol and spent five years in prison. He was married twice. At the age of sixty, he became blind; to pass the time, he began making small rugs from braided rags, mixing various textiles.