The Private Presses of New Mexico

The Laboratory of Anthropology

view enlarged panel

Faced with the need to supplement dwindling Rockefeller family funding, the newly founded Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe turned to publishing as a means of generating revenue in the mid-1930s. Until 1947, it produced some of the most notable and innovative examples of fine book work in the country.

To do the work, the museum assembled a talented team of artists, creative illustrators, and well-recognized fine press printers. These privately funded publications reflected the vision of the Laboratory of Anthropology without bowing to mass appeal, or compromising the quality of work common to the private press.

Collotype postcard, 1939 Navajo Textile Arts
Style Trends of Pueblo Pottery, 1939 Twelve Examples of Navajo Weaving
(click thumbnails to enlarge)

The Laboratory of Anthropology Hazel Dreis Editions and Libros Escogidos
Pictograph Press Motive Book Shop

(click panel to explore)