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A.8585.65-31 - Rug |
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Catalog Number: A.8585.65-31
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| Object Name/Descriptor |
Rug |
| Provenience |
North America, USA, New Mexico, Crystal |
| Culture/People/Style |
Navajo (Dine) |
| Period |
c. 1915 |
| Date Accessioned |
December, 1965 |
| Material Type(s) |
Cloth - Wool
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| Length (cm) |
215 |
| Width (cm) |
147.2 |
| Other Information |
Associated Text from the Native American Hall (1992-2006):
The turn-of-the-century marked a new era for Navajo weavers, as traders encouraged new products and created new ways to market them. In 1911, J.B. Moore published a mail-order catalog with plates illustrating Navajo rug patterns. Moores catalog descriptions endowed his designs with histories that linked them to Navajo legend. In reality, he specified the designs weavers used and introduced motifs from Oriental rugs. This rug, from Crystal, New Mexico, is made after a plate in Moores catalog.
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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