050418-36 Navajo Germantown Blanket; Modified Storm Pattern; "ANNA"
Navajo Germantown Blanket; Modified Storm Pattern; "ANNA"
Circa 1900
Germantown Wool Trade Yarns
45 1/2 x 72 1/2 inches
With a modified storm pattern motif; with mountain, lightning, whirling logs and probably woven as a commissioned customized example personalized to "Anna."
The Storm Pattern of this period is usually associated with the Early JB Moore run Crystal Trading Post.
In the early reservation period (1868-1900) the Navajo were able to supplement their hand spun wool yarns with various trade yarns such as those made in Germantown, PA. The yarn was shipped via rail to the trading posts in Arizona and New Mexico and then traded or sold to the weavers on the reservation. Germantown Yarns were used as the weft of the blanket with the earlier Germantown trade yarns (1870-1874) being 3-ply, and the later yarns (1875-1910) were 4-ply yarns. In rare cases, the plies were taken apart and the very fine yarn was used. Of fine quality and with bright color, the Germantown yarns yielded some of the most skillful and dazzling blankets of the late 19th century.
That most Germantown blankets (circa 1870-1910) were woven on a cotton warp foundation, the majority were lost to damage, and relatively few have survived. The combination of rarity, fine weave, and vivid design have made Navajo Germantown Blankets a highly sought-after item to the collectors market.