This is a stunning photo! It depicts Navajo women spinning yarn at Canyon de Chelly. Unsure when photo was taken but was taken by Western Ways Photography. Total measurements are 16x20” and photo measures approximately 13 1/2x11”. This piece has some condition issues present that don’t detract but should be noted. It appears to be permanently attached to cardboard backing, some damage and loss to edge, and some discoloration to upper area in photo. There is some spotting on matting as well as a corner missing. Despite these condition issues this is still a lovely piece! Please see photos closely for detail and thank you for your interest!

Western Ways history

Charles Herbert, internationally recognized photographer and filmmaker, together with his wife Lucille founded Western Ways Feature Service. Over a period of over three decades, from the 1930s to the 1970s, the Herberts employed professional writers and photographers whose body of work not only promoted, but shaped the culture of the modern American West. The company produced articles and photographs about people, events, and tourist destinations in the western United States as well as Northern Mexico for sale to publications, photographic and advertising agencies, and the private sector.

Many of the stories told by Western Ways leaned on tropes that were (and still are) perpetuated in popular culture. Romantic depictions of Native Americans; rugged, predominantly white cowboys; and a focus on human triumph over the environment - illustrated by the many images of manicured green lawns on guest ranches juxtaposed against the stark beauty of the Sonoran Desert - are abundant in the collection. Today, the collection forms what author Jennifer Jenkins calls “a time capsule of the packaging and promotion of the Arizona borderlands at the dawn of the Sunbelt boom.”

While Western Ways’ work encompassed all of Arizona, as well as neighboring states and northern Mexico, the Herberts made Tucson their home, and the growth of the company is indelibly tied to the growth of the city during the mid-century period. It is worth noting that as Western Ways was promoting Tucson as a tourist destination to largely white audiences, the city itself was undergoing a massive cultural shift as city leaders were simultaneously promoting urban renewal efforts. This saw the displacement of the city's long established Mexican American communities out of downtown neighborhoods as entire blocks of homes, shops, and community spaces were demolished and replaced with new construction.