Plate-by-Plate:
The Navajo Blanket Portfolio

About the Navajo Blanket Portfolio project

From 1939 to 1942, the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM,1 sponsored a New Mexico Federal Art Project initiative to create a portfolio of prints of fifteen Diné (Navajo) weavings from its collection, hiring artist Louie Ewing to orchestrate the effort.

For the project, Ewing, assisted by fellow artist Eliseo Rodriguez, invented his own version of the silkscreen printing process. The technology had been introduced to the United States only several decades prior and even more recently adapted for non-commercial purposes. “I was one of the first ones to experiment with silk-screen printing,” Ewing recalled in a 1964 interview. “Eliseo Rodriguez…was my helper. And our first print, I think it took us about three days to produce. Because we made our squeegee, to move the paint across the screen, out of an auto tire because there wasn’t a squeegee invented then. And then we used a window-cleaning thing and that didn’t work because the oil melted the rubber.”2

Two hundred of each print were produced. Portfolios were distributed to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the federal government’s “Indian service schools,” as well as to universities, libraries, and museums nationwide.

As explained in the Portfolio’s introductory text: “The fifteen color plates in this portfolio are from specimens in the permanent collection ranging in period from 1850 to 1910. Selected to represent as wide a range of types as possible . . . [t]he specimens [are] arranged in order from early to late.”

The Portfolio makes the case that the “best” period of Diné (Navajo) weaving was the mid-1800s, during what scholars (then and now) refer to as the “blanket period” or “classic period.” At this time, finely spun European yarns were made available to Diné weavers, stimulating what the Portfolio describes as a “refinement in the Navajo weaver’s craft.” The Portfolio laments how weaving changed with the building of the railroad and increased commercial trade in the late nineteenth century. First, it patronizingly claims that the introduction of “newly invented aniline dyes in gaudy hues . . . all but wrecked [the] trade in blankets.” It also blames the introduction of store-bought cloth blankets as initiating the “end of Navajo blankets as such,” arguing that weavers “were finally induced to turn their skill to the production of a coarser, heavier type which the traders could market as rugs.”

One goal of the Portfolio was to promote the value of “classical” Navajo weaving (and thereby the value of the Laboratory’s collection, which it noted was the ”largest and most varied collection” of “fine old blankets” in the country). Correspondingly, its goal was also to promote continued production of mid-1800s Navajo weaving techniques and designs, and so it was positioned as both an instructional and consumer education manual.

Note: Gallup’s collection of Portfolio prints is incomplete, including only 10 of the 15 images produced (for reference, the National Gallery of Art has a complete set). For some images, however, the collection includes multiple prints. The prints were transferred to the City of Gallup’s Red Rock Park Museum by the State of New Mexico’s museum system in 1980.

A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Plate 2

Navajo Blanket Portfolio print

A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Photograph of reference weaving

ℹ️Image courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Plate 2

The Portfolio describes the weavings presented in highly technical terms. Plate 2 is described as follows:

“Period, 1850 to 1875. Size, 54 by 70 inches. Design of the classic period, with fine hand-spun white and indigo blue, raveled material for the light green, and both raveled bayeta [wool cloth of European manufacture] and Saxony yarn for the reds.”

Louie Ewing and Eliseo Rodriguez also paid close attention to the materiality of each weaving, seeking to authentically replicate each blanket not only in terms of design but also in terms of character and quality. Here, they replicate the variations in light and dark tones seen in the original. “We tried to make our colors as close as possible to the real rug dyes,” Rodriguez explained in a 1999 interview.3

Plate 3

Navajo Blanket Portfolio print

A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.

Photograph of reference weaving

ℹ️Image courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Plate 3

The Portfolio dates the weaving represented in Plate 3 to 1875, and explains that its weaver achieved a pink color by carding raveled red yarn with white wool. It also classifies this weaving as a “zoned design of the classic period.” Many mid-1800s weavings feature a symmetrical pattern consisting of five design zones: a central design, a second design applied on either side of center, and a third design to bookend weaving.

According to the Portfolio, in the mid-1800s, “weavers came to use a variety of harmonious colors with increasing ingenuity and skill as they developed their own system of design.” The weaving depicted in Plate 3 perfectly demonstrates the Portfolio’s laudatory view of classic period weaving, and it is perhaps for that reason that it was selected for inclusion. 

Plate 5

Navajo Blanket Portfolio print

A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.

Photograph of reference weaving

ℹ️Image courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Plate 5

The subtleties of Louie Ewing and Eliseo Rodriguez’s approach to replicating the quality of weavings through the silkscreen printing process are on full display in Plate 5. Notice how the artists capture the soft curvature of the blanket’s rectangular shape, the minute ripples along its edges, and the minor asymmetries of the weaving’s striped design.

Plate 7

Navajo Blanket Portfolio print

A silkscreen print of a rectangular, horizontally oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 7
1939 - 1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, horizontally oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamond shapes with stepped edges run along the top and bottom edges and the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in its middle.
Blanket, 1880 - 1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.

Photograph of reference weaving

ℹ️Image courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, horizontally oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamond shapes with stepped edges run along the top and bottom edges and the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in its middle.
Blanket, 1880 - 1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, horizontally oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 7
1939 - 1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Plate 7

It appears the Portfolio presented all its printed images in vertical/portrait format. Yet the “Chief” blanket pictured in Plate 7, as is true of many of the other blankets depicted, would have been made to be worn wrapped around the shoulders, and so the print is shown here in horizontal/landscape format.

Plate 8

Navajo Blanket Portfolio print

A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.

Photograph of reference weaving

ℹ️Image courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Plate 8

Louie Ewing and Eliseo Rodriguez’s Portfolio prints read as highly accurate reproductions given their specificity and attention to detail. Here, in Plate 8, the artists replicate the reference weaving’s variations in green-colored yarn, especially noticeable between the upper and lower portions of its middle section.

Plate 9

Navajo Blanket Portfolio print

A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.

Photograph of reference weaving

ℹ️Image courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Plate 9

This print is arguably the Portfolio’s least accurate weaving depiction. Its most obvious deviation from the original is the omission of its fringe. This seems a deliberate choice—probably not the artists’ but the project directors’. Not only do Louie Ewing and Eliseo Rodriguez demonstrate an attentiveness to detail and skillfulness in replicating idiosyncrasies in their other Portfolio prints, the impetus to exclude the fringe is likely not to have been creative or technical. Rather, it is in line with the Portfolio’s express desire to promote standards of “classicism” in Navajo weaving.

Currently, one widely accepted hallmark of authenticity in Navajo weaving is a lack of fringe. However, fringe was common during the post-classical, late-1800s “transitional period” in weaving (indeed, the Portfolio dates this weaving to 1880/1890). During this period, weavings were largely produced for the tourist market—weavers were creating wall hangings, table runners, and sofa covers rather than blankets or rugs, and incorporating fringe as a decorative element.

Plate 10

Navajo Blanket Portfolio print

A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.

Photograph of reference weaving

ℹ️Image courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Plate 10

Plate 10 again demonstrates Louie Ewing and Eliseo Rodriguez’s attentiveness to color variations and commitment to accuracy. Here, the artists even separately color one segment of the top two and bottom left crosses in an attempt to match the reference weaving—opting for a more complicated silkscreen printing process for the sake of precision. 

Plate 12

Navajo Blanket Portfolio print

A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.

Photograph of reference weaving

ℹ️Image courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Plate 12

Plate 12 shows off Louie Ewing and Eliseo Rodriguez’s skillfulness and mastery of the silkscreen printing process. The artists were able to reproduce subtle variations in the reference weaving’s handspun white wool background in form and tone. They were also able to accurately reproduce the weaving’s light purple accents, which according to the Portfolio are “much faded.”

Plate 14

Navajo Blanket Portfolio print

A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.

Photograph of reference weaving

Plate 14

According to the Portfolio, the weaving represented in Plate 14 is the most recent of the lot, dating to “about 1900.” Scholars identify the period between 1800 and 1900 as a “transitional” period in which weavers were experimenting with newly available, brightly colored commercial yarns and new patterns, such as the “eye dazzler,” and producing largely for a tourist market. Borrowing from Mexican serape designs, “eye dazzler” weavings are characterized by a pattern of diamond shapes. One expert has identified the weaving pictured here as a “transitional eye dazzler”—an interesting point of reference in terms of the evolution of Navajo weaving.

Plate 15

Navajo Blanket Portfolio print

A silkscreen print depicting a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving on a blank background. The weaving design is striking, with horizontal bands of a black, orange, and red vertical zigzag pattern alternating and contrasting with bands of plain cream color.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 15
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving in red, white and blue. The design's middle area features three horizontal bands of interlocking diamond shapes, each of which has a white cross at its center. The top and bottom portions of the design mirror each other, each containing a row of three red mound-like shape with blue crosses at their centers. Thin stripes in alternating red, white and blue colors fill the background.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 2
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with an intricate pattern of red, blue and white geometric designs. The central portion of the weaving is made up of three horizontal bands of red and blue zigzagging lines. These bands are punctuated by evenly spaced white plus signs. Along the top and bottom edges of the weaving are three large red mound shapes outlined in white. In the center of each mound shape is a blue plus sign. Thin red and white stripes fill the spaces in between these primary designs to complete the pattern.
Shoulder Blanket, 1860s–1870s
Navajo
Wool warp and possible bayeta
52” W x 73” H
Gift of Mrs. Philip B. Stewart.
Cat.# 9108/12, Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The design is made up of horizontal striped bands, alternating between red and dark blue-striped bands and yellow and light blue-striped bands, with areas of cream in between. The middle striped band of the weaving has a red and yellow stepped zigzag line running through it. The weaving design also features corner accents--pink with a yellow diagonal border on top and red with a yellow border on bottom
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 3
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical pattern of stripes on a cream background. Horizontal bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of plain cream and bands of thin peach and blue stripes up and down the weaving at regular intervals. The band of thin black, red, and blue stripes in the center of the weaving is overlayed with a thick peach and red zig zag line with a stepped edge. The corners of the weaving are accented by cross-cutting peach and red diagonal lines with stepped edges.
Shoulder Blanket, 1850–1860s
Navajo
Handspun white medium/light blue (indigo), dark blue (indigo); commercial raspberry pink, apricot; ravelled crimson
27 ½” W x 47 ¹⁄₁₆” H
SAR 1999-9-70.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with horizontal stripes in shades of red, brown, and beige on a cream background. The pattern features alternating thick and thin lines, creating a symmetrical design.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 5
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a symmetrical red striped pattern on a cream background. A horizontal band of five red stripes occupies the center of the weaving. Evenly spaced horizontal bands of two and three red stripes alternate with bands of plain cream on either side of center to fill the design from top to bottom.
Blanket, 1860–870s
Navajo
Wool warp; handspun blue, green, fine commercial ravelled red and ravelled olive weft.
49 ½” W x 76” H
SAR 1999-9-84.
Courtesy of the School for Advanced Research.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving design featuring a striped pattern in black, blue, read and cream. Vertical bands of thin black, red and blue stripes alternate with bands of thicker black and white stripes. Red stepped motifs are positioned in the corners and in the center of each edge of the weaving, and are cropped to fit in each instance. The central shape is a red stepped-edge diamond with a black plus sign or cross in its center.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio -
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern of stripes and diamond shapes. Three bands of evenly spaced red diamonds with stepped edges run along either edge and down the center of the weaving. The diamond shapes are cropped where they meet the edges and corners of the weaving. They are connected by thin stripes in alternating red, blue and black colors. In between the diamond bands are thicker black and white stripes. The diamond in the center of the weaving has a dark blue plus sign in is middle.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun red, black, indigo blue and white. Plied, Z-S twist black selvage and end cords. Open tassels, with extra yarns sewn in.
80” W x 65” H
Cat.# 9121/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a red background and symmetrical geometric pattern featuring four large blue diamonds, which take up most of the weaving. Yellow, white and green crosses are positioned between the diamonds.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 8
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented with a red background and featuring a symmetrical pattern of four large black and dark blue striped diamonds, two on top and two on bottom. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined in white. In between the diamonds are thin plus sign shapes in light and dark green colors.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, black, indigo blue, red, with two greens, 3-ply yarn. Red areas may be raveled material from a very heavy flannel dyed in the piece.
51” W x 72” H
Cat.# 9114/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a light sandy pink background and featuring a geometric pattern of interlocking diamonds. The diamond shapes are filled with thin brown and blue horizontal stripes. They have zigzagged edges of pink, green and blue. Criss-crossing each diamond are thin, serrated lines of pink so that each diamond appears to have an elongated X shape in its center, extending from edge to edge.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 9
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical pattern on a salmon-colored background of four interconnected or large black diamonds. The diamonds have stepped edges and are outlined with thin bands of salmon, green and black. Narrow salmon-colored serrated lines criss-cross the diamonds to create horizontal X shapes in their centers. The short edges of the weaving (on top and bottom) have fringe.
Blanket, 1880–1890s
Navajo
46 ¼” W x 49 ⅔” H
Cat.# 9410/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a mainly red rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving. The weaving features a geometric pattern of vertical blue and cream zigzag lines which run its length interspersed with short stacks of small triangle shapes in alternating blues and greens or blues and whites. The top and bottom portions of the weaving each feature a set of two green plus sign shapes.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 10
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving textile, vertically oriented with a red background and symmetrical pattern of four black and white vertical zigzagged lines interspersed with green plus signs and thin columns of small black, white, and green triangles.
Blanket, 1860–1880s
Navajo
Fine handspun red, white, blue green wool.
68” W x 79” H
Cat.# 9408/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular, vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a cream background and bold, symmetrical design of zigzag patterns in black, orange and light purple. The design centers on middle horizontal band of alternating black and white zigzag stripes. The upper and lower portions of the weaving mirror each other, each featuring a set of two zigzag lines on either side of a narrow striped band.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 12
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.
A photograph of a traditional rectangular Navajo weaving, vertically oriented and featuring a symmetrical design of zigzag and striped lines on a cream background. In the center of the weaving is a thick band of black and white zigzagged vertical stripes. Thinner bands of black, white and orange diagonal stripes punctuate the top and bottom thirds of the weaving. These bands are bordered on either side by orange and purple zigzagged lines with stepped edges.
Blanket, about 1890
Navajo
Wool warp, handspun white, red, black and purple.
55 ½” W x 73 ¼” H
Cat.# 9113/12
Courtesy Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, Laboratory of Anthropology.
A silkscreen print of a rectangular and vertically oriented Navajo weaving with a symmetrical geometric zig-zag and diamond pattern. The weaving has a variated red background and the design is organized by four wide horizontal black and beige zig-zag lines. The zig-zags meet at their points to form frame large diamond-shaped spaces. Smaller diamond shapes are placed in the middle of each of the large diamond spaces.
Louie Ewing with Eliseo Rodriguez
Navajo Blanket Portfolio - Plate 14
1939–1942
Silkscreen print on paper
20” W x 26” H
A project of the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, NM.

Photograph of reference weaving

Plate 15

Records do not indicate the selection criteria for the weavings reproduced in the Portfolio, but the one seen here in Plate 15 may have been chosen for its rarity. Indeed, the Portfolio describes the weaving as “unusual.”

Louie Ewing and Eliseo Rodriguez’s presumably faithful imitation of the weaving’s scalloped edges (the original weaving has not been located) signal that it is a “wedge weave”—a technique that appears in the 1880s but not with any frequency.

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