Adobe Gallery Blog

When the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe train arrived in New Mexico in 1879, it became obvious that the arriving tourists were eager to take back home with them souvenir items from the previously-unknown, to them, Indians of New Mexico.  C. G. Wallace, the best-known Indian trader at Zuni Pueblo exerted his influence on the tribal members in what they should make to satisfy this demand for souvenirs.

Before C. G. Wallace, there had been other traders at Zuni and each had his influence in some way.  The first licensed trader was William Wallace who arrived in 1874. The next was Douglas D. Graham who arrived in 1879 and stayed for 20 years, trading manufactured goods for grain, sheep, and wool.  His biggest influence over the Zunis was to get them raising cattle which he then traded to distant markets. The third licensed trader was Andrew Vanderwagen, a family name still known today. C. G. Wallace arrived in 1918 and stayed until 1970.  His contributions were in stimulating a revival and expansion of jewelry making. His effect on pottery production was the reverse, supposedly because he did not wish to ship pottery.

What had a devastating effect on Zuni pottery was the vast number of expeditions to Zuni, in the late 1800s, collecting thousands and thousands of household items, including pottery.  The long-term effect of this was that Zuni potters no longer had classic examples of pottery by which to influence production of new wares. The loss of this library of examples greatly reduced the designs available to consult.

#adobegallery #SouthwestIndianPottery #ZuniPueblo #ZuniPottery #PuebloPottery #SouthwestIndianArt #SantaFePottery #FinePuebloPottery #HistoricPottery