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A.5141.42-192 - Blanket or Rug |
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Catalog Number: A.5141.42-192
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| Object Name/Descriptor |
Blanket or Rug |
| Provenience |
North America, USA, Southwest |
| Culture/People/Style |
Navajo (Dine) |
| Period |
c. 1880 - 1890 |
| Date Accessioned |
March, 1942 |
| Material Type(s) |
Cloth - Wool
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| Length (cm) |
211.500 |
| Width (cm) |
143.000 |
| Other Information |
Associated Text from the Native American Hall (1992-2006):
Pictoral Blanket
Navajo textiles with pictorial design elements became common at the end of the nineteenth century. Weavers began to experiment with new motifs when increased contact with non-Indian cultures provided both expanded markets and new images. Woven very loosely of heavy yarns, this blanket is only one of a handful of nineteenth-century textiles depicting the train that brought the outside world to the Navajo reservation.
Rugs for Sale
"Rugs made to order in any size or color."
- J.B.Moore, 1911
The Navajo returned from Bosque Redondo to a surrounded land designated a reservation. Their homes and herds were destroyed during the four-year absence. Licensed by the government to provide services and supplies, trading post owners exercised enormous influence over Navajo life.
In the 1880s, the railroad opened up the Navajo world to outsiders. New textiles began to emerge from the Navajo loom in response to market demands. At the urging of reservation traders, Navajo weavers gradually modified their thin, tightly woven blankets into rugs suitable for Victorian parlor floors.
Traders fueled Navajo demand for consumer goods, while Navajo women steadily increased their production of rugs to generate income. |
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