1800s Winship Collection

We are fortunate to have a small collection of pottery, baskets and other items consigned to us that were acquired in the 1890s by the grandfather of the present owner.  Albert Edward Winship, the great grandfather of the present owner, spent a great deal of time in the Southwest in the Post-Civil War era organizing Congregational churches and supporting primary school teachers. He got home to Watertown, Massachusetts, frequently enough to sire six children—the oldest of whom was George Parker Winship.

It is George Parker Winship who is of interest to us in relation to this collection of mostly Zuni Pueblo pottery, four old baskets, one textile, a pueblo dance maul and a stone carving.

According to his grandson, Philip Winship Davis, George Parker collected all of these items during his frequent stays in the Southwest.

George Parker Winship, while a student at Harvard, translated Pedro de Castaneda’s journal of Coronado’s 1540-1542 quests for the Seven Cities of Cibola. Fulcrum Publishing republished an edited version in 1990. In his Introduction, Dr. Donald C. Cutter assesses this as still the authoritative translation, hence the republication.

According to the dust jacket notes: “Castaneda’s narrative, as translated and edited by George Parker Winship, was first published in 1896 in the Fourteenth Annual Report of the U. S. Bureau of American Ethnology. Accompanied by other documents, including letters from Coronado, the report also featured Winship’s Historical Introduction to the expedition. Eight years later, Winship revised and corrected the translation for publication under the title The Journey of Coronado, 1540-1542.” It is this version that was republished in 1990.

According to his grandson, who is now the owner of this fine collection, his grandfather would have amassed this collection while exploring the Southwest in the 1890s. While in the area, he would have visited El Moro National Monument because it was an oasis visited by Coronado. The grandson believes he has located an inscription at El Moro of his grandfather’s initials. According to family lore, some of these artifacts were pulled from the bottom of abandoned wells. Some bear catalog numbers, but there are no corresponding notes or catalogs.

We are pleased to present these pieces, using our best knowledge concerning date and origin. We have attempted to describe the condition of each piece as accurately as possible.