Phases of Navajo Chief’s Blankets
The Indigenous Arts of North America sale on July 31st features a collection of 19th century and contemporary Navajo Chief’s Wearing Blankets from The Collection of Gordon and Zanne Stewart. Navajo Wearing Blankets, or Chief’s Blankets, were desirable pieces as they provided warmth for the cold desert nights and could be used by the Navajo as coats during the day. Some believe they are called Chief’s Blankets because they were expensive to make and typically were reserved for wealthy or high-status individuals. The designs of these blankets changed over the course of the 19th century and are identified in Three Phases.
First Phase blankets, made up until about the 1820s-1840s were of simple design, consisting of banded stripes, typically in whites, blues and browns. Original examples are rare, but the contemporary child’s wearing blanket as part of Lot 90 provides a typical banded example. Indigo dye was used to create the blue stripes.
As the Navajos developed their weaving skills and gained access to other materials, their designs evolved. Second Phase blankets are often identified by red rectangles added to the striped motif and were made from about 1850-1880. The use of this red color can be seen in Lot 26 in the sale, a Second Phase Wearing Blanket which could have incorporated Bayeta cloth, a fine red fabric imported from Europe which the Navajo unraveled to use the red yarn in their own pieces.
From 1880 onward, after the arrival of the railroad out West and the increased trading of more readily available and commercially made wool blankets, the Third Phase develops. The Navajo experimented with color, design and shapes, adding crosses, triangles, diamonds, and zigzag patterns to their blankets to appeal to traders and tourists. Lot 77 provides a fine example of a Third Phase blanket with added crosses and a banded diamond pattern. Note the continued use of the red color as well.
During this time, the Navajo used trade to their advantage and acquired materials and dyes from other places with textiles traditions such as Germantown, Pennsylvania. Third Phase blankets with bright colors such as reds, greens, and yellows typically were made using the dyes and yarns shipped from Germantown. Other examples similar to Lot 77, and also likely Germantown Blankets, include Lots 2 and 4.
The Navajo continued to experiment with their designs into the 20th century and began making rugs to appeal to a wider range of people. Such examples of rugs with more intricate designs can be seen in Lots 20, 29, and 58, along with others in the sale.
The Navajo tradition of weaving continues to this day. The skill is passed down from generation to generation and the textiles are used by the Navajo people and continue to be made for the tourist trade and for collectors and admirers of these finely woven pieces.