Navajo Saddle Blankets - Textiles to Ride in the American West (Paperback)

Navajo saddle blankets -- woven for cowboys not collectors -- have been largely overlooked in favor of the celebrated Navajo rugs. Featuring 85 superb examples of Navajo saddle blankets from the permanent collection at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (Museum of New Mexico), this book traces their development from trading posts to ranching and rodeo, from its beginnings in the early American West to the present-day production for discriminating horse riders. Saddle blankets are the one weaving form that has been produced continuously both for Navajo use and trade.

In the wealth of books on Navajo textiles, there has never before been a study of these utilitarian saddle blankets, where Navajo weavers excel in double weaves, the two-faced textiles, the twills, and the tufted angoras. These interdisciplinary essays explore the design and artistry of Navajo saddle blankets, the culture of the American West that spurred this usable art form, the utilitarian nature of this woven craft, and the enduring demand for these textiles by cowboys and collectors alike.