Native American tribes traditionally used symbolism in their arts and crafts-jewelry, basketry, pottery, textiles-that had specific meaning to them and they also used symbols that were purely decorative.  One such symbol often seen on pre-1930 Apache baskets, Navajo jewelry and rugs and, occasionally, Pueblo pottery, was the symbol internationally known as the swastika. It is a symbol that had been in use for several thousand years in cultures over the world.  What meaning it had for Native Americans has only been thoroughly documented in its use on Navajo rugs.  Dennis J. Aigner has studied the symbol for several decades and has published The Swastika Symbol in Navajo Textiles.  Its use by the Navajo originated with a Navajo sandpainting used in The Nightway Chant, a nine-day ceremony for healing purposes.  The symbol consisted of what may be called a plus mark, with The Twin War Gods, side by side, attached to the four lines, forming a swastika-looking symbol.  Legend has the twins riding down the river on logs, rotating or whirling, thus the accepted name for the symbol being Whirling Logs.  Unfortunately, there is no published documentation on the origin of its use by other tribes.

Read more about this pot here..

There is probably no one who does not know who Nancy Youngblood is but, if that is not the case, then here is a short introduction to her.  She is the granddaughter of Margaret Tafoya and daughter of Mela Youngblood.  She is a master crafts person and certainly one of the most famous younger potters of today.  Nancy is known for her patience in making the most precise and perfect pottery.  She spares no effort in producing the perfect pot.  For more information on her, check the more detailed biography on our website by clicking on her name above.

Read more about this pot here..

Lupita Martinez (1918- 2006) was the niece of Maria and Julian Martinez through marriage to the son of Julian's brother, Louis Martinez. I do not know if she was a full-time potter or an occasional potter.  She was, however, an excellent potter.

Read more about this candlestick here..

The pottery classification "Zuni Polychrome" starts with a date of around 1850 and continues through today.  Polychrome vessels at Zuni have been made in probably the largest quantity of any pueblo and in the greatest variety of any pueblo.  James Stevenson and Frank Hamilton Cushing collected more than 1,000 ceramics at Zuni in 1879 and shipped them off to the Smithsonian.  In 1881, Stephenson again collected more, about 1,800 more, and three years later, another 2,250.  Stevenson's wife, Matilda Coxe Stevenson, collected rare examples in 1904.  Other museums also collected at Zuni during those times.  Batkin, 1987 [163]

Read More about this Zuni pottery here..

As described by Harlow and Lanmon in The Pottery of Zia Pueblo (see Recommended Reading reference below), there was a period in Zia Southwest Indian Pottery production, beginning in the1880s, when two styles of arc designs were in use.  One they named Reflected Arcs appeared between 1880 and 1900 and the other Rainbow Arcs in use between 1880 and 1930.  Reflected arcs generally were designs within arcs that were connected at their ends.  The Rainbow arcs are familiar even today as the undulating arcs traversing over some design areas and under others.

Read more about this Zia Pueblo pot here..

Historic Pottery from Santa Ana Pueblo is among the scarcest of all Pueblo pottery.  According to Batkin¹:  "As far as is known, all decorated pottery made at Santa Ana in the nineteenth century was polychrome. Reliable sources state that pottery was made in considerable quantities until 1900, although not much has survived. By the 1920s, the tradition had practically died out. Apparently no potters entered their work for judging at the Indian Fair between 1922 and 1924."

Read more about this pot here..

San Ildefonso pottery retained its traditional Tewa shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries more so than the other Tewa pueblos, due primarily to its more isolated location than the others, according to Jonathan Batkin. There were so few potters at the pueblo at that time that tradition remained strong.

Read more about this pottery here..

It has been said that Woody Crumbo's art was not aimed at figurative realism but, with the animals, such as this horse and colt, he brought out what he saw as their spirit, often in vivid colors, however, colors were not used in his copper plate etchings.

Crumbo was born of a Potawatomi mother and orphaned at age 7.  He then lived with a Creek family, then a Kiowa family and, finally a Sioux family.  This exposed him to cultures of many tribes and that contributed to his art career and life.  With this experience, he found a way to honor, promote and preserve history of many tribes.

Read more about this etching here..

Woody Crumbo was widely known for his copper plate etchings, silk screen prints and paintings.  The etchings and silkscreen prints were his contribution to making his art affordable to more people in an attempt to bring to the world the nature of Indian lives and art.  The copper plate etchings, such as this one, were titled and signed but not numbered so there is no record of the quantity produced of each image.

Read more about this etching here..

Woody Crumbo was an accomplished artist in the medium of copper plate etchings and he produced them in an attempt to make his art affordable and available to a widespread audience.  Through his printmaking, he produced images of animals, Indian dancers, and Indian customs and life styles.  It was his intent to bring Indian lives and manners to a large group of potential art collectors.

Read more about this etching here..

Woody Crumbo was born in Oklahoma and spent a large part of his life there, but spent his later year in Taos, New Mexico, and was living in Cimarron, New Mexico, when he died on April 4, 1989.  He dedicated his life to portraying the life and culture of Native Americans in the hope of presenting them as they existed at that time because change was inevitable. He was born of the Potawatomi Tribe, was orphaned at age 7, and then lived with a Creek Indian family.  He learned the customs of the Creek, studied those of the Kiowa and then was adopted by a Sioux family. His early schooling, like that of many Native American Indians, was at a U.S. Government Indian School.

Read more about this print here..

Carl Von Hassler was an amazing artist who was partly responsible for bringing attention to Albuquerque as an art colony.  Von Hassler, Carl Redin, Raymond Jonson, Howard Schleeter, Nils Hogner and others dominated the art scene in the early 20^th century and it is to them we owe gratitude for establishing an art scene in Albuquerque.  There were female artists as well, but they were in mid- and late-20^th century.

Read more about this painting here.

Agnes Tait (1894-1981) was born in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1894. After graduating from grammar school, she applied to the National Academy of Design where she earned multiple awards for her work.

In 1927 she spent several weeks in a studio in Paris where she studied lithography at the École des Beaux-Arts before returning to New York City to rent her own studio in Lower Manhattan. Her first exhibition was held with fellow female artists and received a review in the New York Times. She continued to find success as an artist.

Agnes Tait (1894-1981)

Category: Paintings
Origin: European-American Artists
Medium: oil on artist board
Size: 11" x 13-1/2" image;
15" x 17-1/2" framed
Item # 25776

Read more about this painting here..

Carl Von Hassler was considered Albuquerque's most famous artist and apparently quite an eccentric.  When not producing oil paintings of adobe homes snuggled under massive cottonwood trees, he would hang out at the Franciscan Hotel bar in downtown Albuquerque visiting and chatting with others while imbibing.

Carl Von Hassler (1887-1969)

Category: Paintings
Origin: European-American Artists
Medium: oil on canvas
Size: 15-1/2" x 21-1/2" image;
21-1/4" x 27-1/4" framed
Item # 25804

Read more about this painting here..

If there was one subject that Tahoma painted to perfection, it was horses.  As all Navajo, he had a respect and love of horses and he knew intimately how to portray them at their best.  This blue stallion presents itself as bold, strong and in command.  He is standing on a hill with his head raised to the wind with every muscle in his body taut.

Quincy Tahoma (1917-1956) Water Edge (near water)

Category: Paintings
Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: Gouache on paper
Size: 21-1/4" x 18-1/8" image;
29-3/4" x 25-3/4" framed
Item # C3613G

Read more about this painting here..

The Albuquerque art scene traditionally has been overlooked in relation to the attention paid to the Santa Fe and Taos artists of the early 20th century.  The artists of Albuquerque have been a close-held secret by Albuquerque residents because they tended to collect from those artists which prevented their works from being available on the art market.

Carol MCILROY (1924-1999)

Category: Paintings
Origin: European-American Artists
Medium: oil on artist board
Size: 17-1/2" x 23-1/2" image;
25" x 31-1/4" framed
Item # C3719C

Read more about this painting here..

The Navajo artist who made this pin used stamp work as well as soldered pieces of silver to create the effect of a real butterfly. The artist used small floral-shape stamps to create designs on the wings and added a piece of silver to create the mid section of the butterfly at which point he inserted a deep blue turquoise stone. Little round silver balls and silver wire make up the head and antennae.

Origin: Diné - Navajo Nation
Medium: Sterling Silver, Turquoise
Size: 1-1/8" x 1"
Item # 25271

Read more about this pin here..

Helen Maria Hunt Jackson (1830 - 1885) born Helen Fiske

Subject: Southwest Anthropology and History
Item # B00085JDBE
Date Published: 1902
Size: Hardback, 292 pages, Beautiful illustrations

Read more about the book here..

MARVELS OF THE NEW WEST: A Vivid Portrayal of the Stupendous Marvels in the Vast Wonderland West of The Missouri River

 Six Books in One Volume

Comprising: Marvels of Nature, Marvels of Race, Marvels of Enterprise, Marvels of Mining, Marvels of Stock-Raising, and Marvels

of Agriculture

Graphically and Truthfully Described by William M. Thayer

Illustrated with Over 359 Engravings and Maps

The Henry Bill Publishing Company - Norwich, Conn

1887

Read more here..

The company completely succeeded in its mission in the manufacture of this pair of chairs.  They embody the simplicity of Mission Oak furniture, they are massively heavy and strong, and they are sturdy and extraordinarily comfortable.  They have endured for over 100 years as evidenced by their inclusion in the company's 1910 catalog.  Each has a paper label attached on which the chair number 688 (rocking chair) and 688-1/2 (straight chair) is marked.

Grand Rapids Bookcase and Chair Company

• Category: Mission Oak Furniture
• Origin: Arts and Crafts Movement
• Medium: Quarter Sawn Oak, Leather
• Size: 32" height x 22" width - PAIR
• Item # 24913

Read more here..