New-York tribune., 1901-01-27
UP-TO-DATE NAVAJO ART.
REMARKABLE LOCOMOTIVE BLANKET
OWNED BY MR. JAMES

Vi NATURAL HISTORY ana elSeW here this city
, and the East has brought with him from the
West an interesting collection of Navajo and
Hopi blankets and baskets made by various
Indian tribes of the Southwest. one of these
blankets is huns up in his New-York home ard
/ is most interesting specimen of the savage
weaver's art.
/ i regard that as most useful Illustration #
one of the principal factors in the Indian wonl-
ans art education" said MIR. James, while OK
planning the meaning of the rug a visitor
| Il know there those who would regard that
/ blanket as perversiCn of Indian art
| They ask, How can that be representative
Indian work? The Indian has no locomotive. no
railway cars. no cattle trains. She should have
put ziSzags and frets and e~eS little men and
women, and flowers and nets and spiders webs
and things of that kind into her design. then
everybody would have known at once and rscOg-
nized pure Indian work
But in the case of the weaver of this blanket
this adverse criticism cannot hold. 1 regard it
as a most satisfactory demonstration Of the
natural exercise of well trained initiative powers.
know the weaver well. She lives not far from
the Continental Divide. the transcOntine ntaI
line Of the Santa Fe Railway. in New Mexico
Her husband has horses sheep and goats. Hey
children. boys and girls are the shepherds
While they are away tending the sheep and
goats she spends great deal of her time at her
i Iuur pfIUllllNe lOon- lllS Is set up tndl
she is in full sight of all the trains that pass by
I each day. some hurryinG California. others
whirling eastward When l asked her why she
incorporated the engines and cars in her blanket
she exclaimed: Me see 'em all a-tme. l like
TO make EN-. Other Time (Navajo) woman no
sabe- l heap sabe make em good Then
with keen look Of Interrogation. she asked:
/ You like 'em?' And when | answered Yes
and said l would like TO purchase the blanket
IL she would tell me all about the design she sat
down. and, beginning at the bottom, interpr ted
what she had made. 1t should be stated that
in making the blanket the work is begun the
bottom, and that as the weaving has
proceeded high enough to make il incOnveni-nt
for the weaver. the riata that tightens the yarn
beam to the cross beam above is loosened and
then the finished work is wound up and seWrd
to the bottom beam. thus presenting new
part OF the warp the weaver
The bottom shows the locomotive and
TWO passenge cars There were more cars. but
she put in all she had room for. Note the rai.
the lozenge shaped wheels. the cowcatcher the
lamp. the smoke from the snokestack and the
steam from the escape valve The number
the tender she failed to get. as the train passed
too rapidly but she knew there was something
there that should be represented. and the rcsui;
is a conventionalzed attempt at imitation, which
is carried through the whole design
Q w nile Snt was WORKING on the IrSt engine
a number OF birds walked along the track Il, ,
two men-ether tramps OF trackwaIkers-
going east and the other west, and these she
represents Then a small cloud appeared in
the sky. and this is represented by the terraced
figure above the head of the going west
ward. Then a wild enEine-an engine without
any cars-passed 10 the west. and above il was
a large cloud. These are both represented Next
she presents cattle train going east. One has
read often and heard oftener OF Gelett Burgess
Purple Cow, but here the colors are such as
would starte that monstrosty. for the
artist has represented both animals with the
fore half Of their bodies white and the remainder
I red, while the first is represented green and
flying birds and then a of men travelling
westward with a cloud at each end of them.
Now have double header doubtless
/ heavy freight train going east and just as il
passed her the first engine ran into raincloud.
which is represented by the pointed figures just
ahead OF il. over the double header five birds
are H. ying, and above them TWO large clouds,
with a centre raincOud.
Next westbound passenger train is repre-
santed, and il passed at night. for the berths
made up, and passengers above and below.
This is the artists conventionalized attempt az
representing the upper and lower berths. and
when | asked her why she did not show the
passengers lying down her reply was TO the
effect that she no sabbed how to make EN-