Navajo Blankets

Navajo chiefs blankets are the most recognizable and valuable of all Navajo weavings. They have been collected not only by other Native Americans before the United States even existed, but also by such notable collectors as William Randolph Hearst. Scholars and collectors usually classify Navajo weaving into four overlapping periods defined by types of products, styles, and materials, although few scholars agree on the appropriate dates for each period. In any event the dates and periods should be understood only as a rough chronology allowing for many exceptions: Classic Period, 1650-1868, Late Classic Period, 1865-1880, Transitional Period, 1868-1895, Rug Period, 1895-Present.