Unknown Maker, Diné (Navajo)

The railroad arrived in New Mexico in the early 1880s. Trains brought new materials to the region, including brightly colored synthetic-dyed yarn that expanded Diné weavers’ color palettes. The railroad also brought to the Southwest new white customers who were interested in Native American art. Decorative pictorial weavings like this one, with its simple background surrounded by red negative space, were created for sale to rail travelers. Diné weaving practices transformed in the late 1800s from apparel made in a subsistence economy to decorative works created for a capitalist tourist market.