That’s a great idea that we should do with one of ours. I was thinking about getting another rug hanger, but that might work better for where this one’s at. The ones I have hanging farther up on the wall I like to be in the hangers.
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@TAH deserves credit for pushing me in this direction. I’d read and talked to dealers about it, but after discussing it with him, I was sold. 
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And I give credit to Garland’s for recommending it to me.
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@Ravenscry, I’m not surprised your smaller yei rug came from the Mesa Verde gift shop. Mesa Verde isn’t far from Shiprock which is where this style of rug originated. The tag says, “Gallup area” and “Lukachukai.” Since I’m a map person I pulled up this to show you where these areas are (Toadlena Trading Post is about halfway-ish between Gallup and Shiprock and west towards the mountains).
I’m sure you have seen lots of pics of the landform called Shiprock (the Navajo name, Tse Bit’ a’i, means “rock with wings”), but here’s one I took last time we were driving through from Toadlena to Mesa Verde.
I apologize if this is all old info to you, but I have fun putting the art together with where it comes from!
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Thanks Zia! I was aware that the Yei rugs originated from Shiprock, after more and more tourists were requesting weavings depicting spiritual iconography. I hadn’t yet looked at a map to tie the clues together. Seeing the proximity of these regions, it certainly makes sense!
What a lovely photo of Shiprock, thank you for sharing!
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For anyone in the area that enjoys weavings enough to visit, Mark Winter’s exhibit Weaving the New World opened yesterday at Couse-Sharp Historic Site in Taos, NM.
The two primary textile categories will be early Saltillo Sarapes and Rio Grande blankets from Old and New Mexico. These “wearing blankets” were made to protect against the elements and serve as beautiful adornment. - Mark Winter
The beautiful Revival Rio Grande in the lower left of the photo above was woven by Carla Bogdanoff of Tres Estrellas Taos recently for the exhibit.
Mark Winter picking it up for the show…
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I’ve no newly acquired weavings, this is simply an update to the display previously shared.
The dress form that I draped the chief’s blanket on is a woman’s size twelve. With it’s narrow shoulders and the relatively petite size, it doesn’t display that blanket very well. A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon a vintage green velvet blouse that was adorned with simple silver embellishments. It was advertised as having come from the estate of Ray Swanson, the infamous American Western painter. Mr. Swanson has been featured numerous times in Turquoise Artwork and his portrayals of Native Americans are picturesque.
The New Doll
Upon learning from the seller that the blouse was purchased from Ogg’s Hogan in Prescott, AZ, I decided to roll the dice. After receiving it, I sent some detailed photos to Jeff Ogg, and he confirmed that he had sold the blouse in January of last year. He quickly followed that up with letting me know it had come from the estate of Ray Swanson, and he asked if I was aware of who that was. I told Jeff that I’m an admirer of Ray’s work, and am honored to be the next steward of this lovely blouse.
Now that the female form, (@TAH and I affectionately refer to this one as Mrs. Navajo) has a blouse, she needs a skirt and wearing blanket. A very similar male form (Mr. Navajo) is currently in transit, and I’ll drape the chief’s blanket on that one. The thought behind all of this is to put together a display of various forms of Navajo art. It’s slow going, but it’s coming together. 
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Beautiful blouse with fantastic provenance, Aaron! These displays are going to be awesome!
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I appreciate your carefully well thought out plan @Ravenscry . The best collections are such, not just money thrown at it as I’ve seen some try. Nicely done.
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Thank you, Steve. I must say, it’s not even an attempt at building something, but more a realization of a deep appreciation. The research and bringing it all together I find enjoyable.
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I love what you’re doing with the vintage mannequin and native wearable art!
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Thank you @here4turquoise! It’s fun and serves as a neat way to display pieces when they’re not being worn. The exception being the velvet blouse, that will remain on the dress form. 
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The above was a well thought out point made by 
@TAH when this was all being considered and discussed.
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Just here to say this is such an interesting and informational thread. I knew nothing about, and had zero interest in, Navajo rugs/blankets/weavings and I must say that my interest is now piqued!
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I wanted to share the newest addition to the ongoing dress form display. I was on the fence about adding this, but convinced myself that the completed display would be worth the effort. As I mentioned previously, it will definitely take some time to put everything together, but I can see it done and am having a blast doing it!
It’s a Navajo little girl’s gold velvet blouse and tiered white silk dress from the 40’s. Some of the turquoise in the cast buttons has turned a beautiful greasy green. I find myself growing impatient to get it on the child’s dress form.
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@Ravenscry That’s a beautiful child’s blouse! Appears to be in excellent condition, too. A little surprised that the velvet has held up so well over the decades but, I’m not at all educated in the world of fabric. Perhaps this blouse was worn only on special occasions?
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Thank you @Patina! There is a bit of wear and two small holes in the blouse and some worn areas of the dress. What was shared with me was that it was collected relatively early by a trading post family, so I don’t think it had much time to get worn out. It could have easily been ceremonial clothing, as you point out, but that’s something I’ll only be able to wonder about.
The green blouse that came from Jeff Ogg who acquired it from Ray Swanson’s estate is in pretty great shape, as well, and it dates to the 30’s-40’s. It’s silver adornment is much more simple, but the velvet itself is quite nice. I’ll be curious if any other members chime in about the perseverance of crushed velvet.
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Aaron, this will be a wonderful addition to your dress forms project! You were fortunate to find velvet blouses in two different colors. The buttons on the new gold blouse are beautiful and tastefully placed. Congratulations on the upcoming addition to your “family”!
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Thank you, Tom! I’ve seen similarly sized red, brown, and green blouses, but they were previously sold. I think the inclusion of the silk dress is what reeled me in.
I know it will take years to see it through, but it sure is fun!
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That’s a great vintage find. That period piece has it all and condition is outstanding considering the culture and time period. You sure are putting a great deal of thought into your display.
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