Nampeyo

Growing up on the Hopi reservation, Nampeyo was encouraged by her grandmother, a well-respected artist, to pursue the art of ceramics. By the century's end she had earned a reputation as one of the finest potters in the Southwest. During this period, archaeological excavations of prehistoric sites in the region were unearthing potsherds from the distant past, and Nampeyo found inspiration in these relics' traditional designs. While she developed a style that honored the past, she also experimented with materials and introduced innovative shapes and decorative elements in her pottery. Her work was widely collected by institutions such as the Smithsonian and also by the growing number of tourists who visited the Southwest. She became so popular that both the Santa Fe Railroad and the Fred Harvey Company-which operated a chain of western hotels and restaurants-incorporated her portrait and her pottery in their advertising.