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Nampeya, Hopi pottery maker, Flagstaff, AZ, 1939

Subjects
Native American LifePortraitsWomen's HistoryWorkers & Occupations
Card type
Linen
Date
c. 1939 (Linen)
Front of Nampeya, Hopi pottery maker, Flagstaff, AZ, 1939, Miss Helen Edwards, MD, USA, c. 1939 linen postcard
Front
Back of Nampeya, Hopi pottery maker, Flagstaff, AZ, 1939, Miss Helen Edwards, MD, USA, c. 1939 linen postcard
Back

About this postcard

Nampeya, a Hopi potter, sits among jars, bowls, and plates spread on a patterned rug, holding a painted bowl. She wears a dark blue dress with embroidered sleeves and a shawl. The vessels show the hand-built forms and painted geometric designs associated with Hopi pottery, a tradition that reaches back to the region's ancient people. Her name is spelled Nampeya here, likely a variant of Nampeyo, the well-known Hopi potter. By the late 1930s, Hopi crafts and ceremonies drew tourists and collectors to northern Arizona.

Postcard Details

Message · English, in pen

Out here in the west where the men are worthy & the women are wild! The cute number on the other side is my main dish - ain't she a sweetheart? Carmon.

PublisherC.T. American Art
Nampeya, Hopi Pottery Maker THE HOPI INDIANS are the descendants of the prehistoric people who occupied this re- gion over 1000 years ago, and are considered the best of all Indian pottery makers. They use the same designs; many of them symbolic, as their prehistoric ancestors. The Hopi Snake Dance, held each year in August, is a weird and thrilling ceremony.
PostmarkedFlagstaff, AZ, August 31, 1939, 13:30
Stamp
Addressed to
Miss Helen Edwards

Calaway Ave near Liberty Hgts. Ave. Baltimore, MD

Postcard record

Postmarked, Flagstaff, AZ
PublisherC.T. American Art
Series225 4405-29
ConditionVery good
Place addressedMiss Helen Edwards, Calaway Ave near, Liberty Hgts. Ave., Baltimore, MD
Place mentionedAlbuquerque, NM
PublisherC.T. American Art, Chicago, IL
Stamp1c George Washington, green, issued 1909
Stamp1c George Washington, green, issued 1938, perforated on all sides
NotesWhite border; linen texture; printed '4405-29' at lower right. Postmark: FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ. AUG 31 1 30 PM 1939. Divided-back linen-era Curteich "C.T. American Art" card; light edge wear and slight toning.

Cite this card

Nampeya, Hopi pottery maker, Flagstaff, AZ, 1939, postcard, c. 1939. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/nampeya-hopi-pottery-maker-flagstaff-az-1939. Accessed November 2, 2026.