This is a finely woven circa 1865-1870’s Navajo Late Classic period child’s serape pictorial blanket woven during or just after the Navajo’s internment at Bosque Redondo; from a noted private collection. The blanket is finely woven showing a Cowboy, a human effigy figure wearing a cowboy hat of sorts with arms spread out and feet turned out, truly a rarity. Provenance: From the same collection as the 1870 Navajo Late Classic ex-Rockefeller, the 1870 Late Classic Navajo at Medicine Man Gallery Mark Sublette and the 1850-1860 Lac Dyed Navajo Child’s Blanket (all authenticated and highly collectible). Blankets from this era with pictorial elements are extremely rare and highly sought after by collectors. The blanket exhibits two shades of indigo blue, bayeta red and natural white along with this particular olive green, which places this beautiful piece as being woven during or just after the Navajo’s interment at Bosque Redondo. The materials used in this weaving are very indicative of the period as well. The blanket shows a bayeta red raveled yarn, the green is a very early 3-ply such as has been documented as being doled out to the Navajo by the US Government at Bosque, the Indigo blue and natural white were scarce during internment and were generally unraveled from older weavings as the Navajo had no sheep during this period. Raveled red of this period typically includes bayeta, cochineal, sometimes lac and American flannel. The blanket is in fine condition with a very tight weave showing a warp count of 15 and weft count of 48, per inch. Navajo textiles that utilized blue and cream colors sparingly were common during and just after the Navajo internment at Bosque Redondo. Prior to this period in 1863, under General Carleton’s orders and led by Kit Carson, thousands of Navajo’s were displaced by Carson’s scorched earth campaign to force the surrender of the Navajo tribe. There homes and crops were burned and their cattle and sheep were killed. The Navajo’s were forced to march nearly three hundred miles homeland to a barren and desolate reservation in Eastern New Mexico. Without their sheep and in such a desolate land, the Navajo weavers relied heavily on unraveled yarn taken from tablecloths, blankets or yarns distributed only to the Navajo at Bosque Redondo from Fort Sumner supply post and no other place or time. This child’s serape is a classic example from this period of circa 1865-1870’s. For reference, 1865-1870 Navajo Late Classic Pictorial Child’s Blankets are exceedingly rare with very few examples on the public market: see the Navajo Late Classic Child’s Blanket with crosses sold by John Moran in Jun 2023 for $40,625, the Late Classic 1870 Child’s Serape with small pictorial embellishment sold by Cowan’s in April 2018 for $24,600, and for reference on late classic serapes see the 1870 Navajo Late Classic Serape ex-Rockefeller sold by NAAC in March 2016 for $37,120 (all w/ bp). Also for reference of a 1865-1870 Navajo Late Classic Blanket with raveled bayeta, indigo and green from the Bosque Redondo period see the piece offered by Medicine Man Gallery Mark Sublette for $38,000 (from the same noted private collection as this child’s blanket being offered). The blanket shows two cowboy human effigy figures, at the top and bottom, both done in the rare Bosque Redondo era 3-ply olive green yarn with Indigo Blue between the legs. The condition of this blanket is excellent suggesting that the blanket was collected early and very well cared for, it appears to have been stored properly and shows no signs of major damages. Lazy lines are seen throughout and overall the weave is very tight showing a warp count of 15 and a weft count of 48, per inch. Measures overall 51-inches by 31.5-inches.