Neil David Koshare Painting

Description

Great Original Painting by Hopi Artist Neil David (1944-present) of Nine Clowns. The white-faced Koshares are Hopi, while the yellow clowns are Tewa. The painting sports a large Hubbel Trading Post metal tag on the bottom right. Large painting with a large presence.


The medallion mounted on this painting references the historic Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site in Ganado, Arizona, founded in 1878 by trader John Lorenzo Hubbell (1853–1930). Hubbell operated a large network of trading posts across Arizona and New Mexico and played a significant role in the regional trading economy between Anglo merchants and Navajo communities. His Ganado post became especially influential in the promotion and marketing of Navajo weaving, particularly the well-known Ganado style rugs that were sold to collectors and museums throughout the United States.


The metal piece attached to the painting is not a souvenir medallion but a trading post token, reading:


J. L. HUBBELL

3270

GANADO ARIZONA


Tokens like this functioned as store credit (often called trading post scrip) and were used within the trading post system. They could be issued to Navajo weavers and craftspeople in exchange for rugs or other goods, or used to track accounts and redeem merchandise at the post when cash currency was scarce in remote reservation areas. The number “3270” likely represents an internal account or serial number associated with a customer or transaction.


Based on its material and design—an octagonal aluminum token with simple lettering and no denomination—examples of this type generally date to the early 20th century, roughly 1900–1930. Many such historic tokens later found their way into decorative Western artworks and curio pieces during the mid-20th century, when objects connected to trading post history were often mounted onto paintings or plaques to evoke the heritage of the Southwest.


Today the Ganado trading post is preserved as a National Park Service site and remains the oldest continuously operating trading post in the United States, continuing its long association with Navajo weaving and Native American art.


3ft by 3ft (40” x 40” in frame)