Handmade Wood Chair from Early Twentieth Century [SOLD]

In 1929, the stock market crashed and the United States entered into a great depression.  The tourist market in New Mexico crashed also and many New Mexican artists found no outlets for their works.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Projects Administration (WPA) to assist unemployed artists throughout the country.  Talented New Mexico-style furniture makers benefited tremendously from the WPA program and much furniture, still in use today, was made at that time.  It is iconic Santa Fe style and is seen in many of today’s homes.

New Mexico was already a poor state at the time of the depression.  Many households were traditionally furnished with homemade furniture as funds were never available for the average New Mexican to make purchases.  Previously experienced by making furniture for home use, woodworking artists benefited from the WPA program.

Long before the WPA program, however, many New Mexican families lived with homemade furniture.  This wooden chair certainly is one made for family use. It was purchased in the 1980s from a family at Acoma Pueblo. The exact date of manufacture is not known but it is likely from the early-twentieth century, before The Great Depression.  Pueblo examples are quite rare, the most famous and well known were designed and made at Cochiti. Taos Pueblo also had furniture makers, as Taos resident and collector Larry Frank had a collection of chairs from Taos Pueblo.

Condition: this Handmade Wood Chair from Early Twentieth Century is in very good condition.

Provenance: purchased in the 1980s at Acoma Pueblo.

Recommended Reading: A More Abundant Life—New Deal Artists and Public Art in New Mexico by Jacqueline Hoefer