Original Painting “Mother and Child Herding Sheep” by Quincy Tahoma [SOLD]

At the time this painting was completed by Tahoma in 1942, he was working at a studio set up for him by photographer T. Harmon Parkhurst near the plaza.  This studio was used by Tahoma during the war years.  He painted there and his paintings were displayed in the Parkhurst photography studio.  Parkhurst had one of the most successful businesses in Santa Fe at that time devoted to Native American art.

Tahoma had tried to enlist in the military after the Pearl Harbor attack but because one of his arms was deformed as a result of a childhood accident, he was not accepted.  Instead, as all his Native American friends from the Indian School enlisted, Tahoma concentrated, almost to a fault, on his art.  It was all consuming in his mind, but paid off eventually. 

The Museum of New Mexico continued during the war to hold special exhibitions that focused on Native American artists and Tahoma was among those exhibited.  He won a competition for a national Red Cross poster which is still in use by the Santa Fe Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Condition: This painting appears to be in original excellent condition.  It is framed using all acid-free materials and is in a hand carved wood frame of the Santa Fe Indian School style.

Provenance:  From the collection of Charlotte G. Mittler.  It was exhibited at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, NM at an exhibit Through Their Eyes: Paintings from the Santa Fe Indian School, May 17, 2009 - April 18, 2010.  It is published in the book Quincy Tahoma: the Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist, by Havens and Badertscher. Schiffer, Atglen. 2011, page 73.

Recommended Reading: Quincy Tahoma: The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist by Havens and Badertscher.