New Mexico Navajo woman taking photograph, 1945

Navajo woman taking photograph, New Mexico 1945
Date Original: 1945, Creator: New Mexico Tourism Bureau, Collection: New Mexico Magazine Collection, Album 40
                                      Publisher: Palace of the Governors Photo Archive, Negative Number HP.2007.20.707

This photograph has become one my newest favorites of historical photographs available to the public to view.

When I look at this image I think of my own K'e', my family and especially my maternal grandmother who at a young age was gifted a Brownie-style camera in the late 1930s. I imagine that she look similar to this beautiful Navajo woman, 'adorned' in her wonderful Navajo -style clothing and cultural jewelry items.

Therefore, my family has similar photos of the Wertio-Yazzie, Manyhogans, Bitterwater clans, most of which were captured by my grandmother Jane. It is through her 'eye' that these photographs documented the history of Navajos in northwestern New Mexico on the eastern region of the Navajo reservation.

In this photograph though, we have a woman wearing the treasured Navajo women's veleveen collared-blouse adorned with small silver buttons. Such clothing was created and sewn by Navajo women using old iron Singer sewing machines.