The collection contains original works of art, primarily watercolors, from the early twentieth century. These are attributed to Awa Tsireh (San Ildefonso), "San Juanito Garcia" (unknown), Fred Kabotie (Hopi), Kills Two (Oglala Sioux), Julian Martinez (San Ildefonso), Oqwa Pi (San Ildefonso), Tonita Peña (San Ildefonso), Otis Polelonema (Hopi), Romando Vigil (San Ildefonso), and Thomas Vigil (Tesuque). The works in boxes 1-3 present a number of very fine examples of the broad aesthetic of Native American Modern painting for both Pueblo and Plains artists: they are representational, depicting flat figures with clear outlines and unadorned backgrounds, and are generally lacking in references to modern life. While primarily produced for outside audiences, the works are distinctly 'Native' in terms of their function as historical records of Indian life in the early twentieth century. The collection contains photographs of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Plains hide paintings. The works are attributed to Plains artists Katsikodi, Amos Bad Heart Buffalo, Silver Horn, and Kills Two.

The following brief biographies refer to artists whose original works are deposited in this collection. In an attempt at consistency, names are listed and spelled as found in J.J. Brody, Pueblo Indian Painting: Tradition and Modernism in New Mexico, 1900-1930 (Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research, 1997). Researchers should be advised that artists' names (Native and/or European) and spellings may differ slightly from publication to publication.

4 oversized boxes.

All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to Ella Strong Denison Library.

This collection is open for research.