@TAH has already shared work from Gerard Curtis Delano (1890-1972), but here are a couple more of his that I find enjoyable.
The Inscrutable Navajo
Untitled
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Love these! The first one reminds me of a simple drawing I found in my mom’s old sketchbook from a train trip she took cross country in the mid forties.
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I remember you sharing this @Ziacat, I think it’s so neat. It would look great in an old, simple, wooden frame. Thanks for bringing this out again!
Karen Clarkson, Choctaw
Water Blessing, oil on linen.
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This original watercolor of two children being served seed cakes was painted for the children’s book, The Book of Nah-Wee by Carl Moon in 1932. Carl and his wife, Grace, published numerous children’s books centered on the Navajo and Pueblo way of life.
There may not be any turquoise, but silver necklaces and earrings abound!
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Here’s an interesting work. Navajo jewelry adorning a painting.
Bobby Hicks (1934-2014), Navajo, untitled, 1974
Gerald Farm
Buck Austin 1975
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Laura Gilpin, photographer. Navajo silversmith in his workshop, c.1934
Gilpin photographed silversmith John Harrison near Red Rock, just south of the Four Corners area, in 1934. “In the winter Navaho men often wear headbands made of fur — there is no top,” she wrote. Of the process of silversmithing, she added, “The fine work of the early Navaho smiths was produced with the simplest of equipment, and though during the following decades new tools were added to the smith’s work bench, the technique is basically the same.”
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@TAH Thanks for posting this artful photograph. Gilpin is one of my favorite photographers.
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This is a lovely photograph, Tom. Thank you for sharing. It’s incredibly clear and a joy to travel through. His concho belt is beautiful, and that his left hand is obscuring the buckle adds an oddly satsifying bit of mystique.
Thanks again! 
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I agree, Aaron! I knew you and @Patina would enjoy this one. This photograph perfectly captures how I envision a Navajo smith working at his bench in the early decades of the 20th century.
Too bad we can’t see his entire buckle. From what I can see, it looks like a unique design. His conchos look very similar to these in the concho belt book.
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I feel the same. I get a kick out of what I perceive as him scrutinizing or comparing the work he performed on the previously made button in his right hand, to the one closer to the anvil in his left.
The conchos on his belt do appear very similar in design to the example from the book, and the repoussé on his buckle is just as handsome as the published belt’s.
An awesome photo, definitley saved as a part of my permanent collection!
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Saw this in a little coffee house today. If only the squatch was wearing a squash it would be perfect.
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Drawing inspiration from @TAH’s recent contribution of an incredible Laura Gilpin photo, I’d like to add another of hers…
A Navaho Girl Silversmith, 1952
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Thanks Aaron! Nice companion photo to the one I posted.
Does anyone else zoom in on these old photos in hope that the silversmith is working on a piece of jewelry that you own? Not that I do it because that would be kind of weird. 
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over here!..I do!!!
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@TAH, feel free to reprimand me, as neither the culture behind this particular form of artwork, or the art itself, is known for it’s utilization and/or representation of turquoise, but ledger art of the Plains Natives has always spoken to me, from the moment I’d seen the first example that my grandfather shared with me so many years ago.
I feel they display exceptionally well and just exude emotion. While I love the historical pieces, there are contemporary artists doing some amazing work. At last year’s Eiteljorg Market and Festival, there were some fine, lovely examples.
The rebellious act of the forcibly relocated Plains Natives so elegantly placing art on top of railroad ledgers I find intriguing as well as resourceful.
I came across John Isaiah Pepion’s work recently and found much of his work enjoyable. Here are a few of his pieces.
Elk Medicine
Champion Chicken Dancer
Little Otter Woman Makes Berry Soup
Piikani Tipi
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