Museum Director J.C. Dickinson and Leigh Morgan Pearsall sign documents gifting the Pearsall Collection of North American Indian art to the Florida Museum in 1964. Florida Museum photo by staff

This chief’s wearing blanket made by Navajo people is in our Leigh Morgan Pearsall Collection. Florida Museum photo by Kristen Grace

Museum Director J.C. Dickinson and Leigh Morgan Pearsall sign documents gifting the Pearsall Collection of North American Indian art to the Florida Museum in 1964. With representative pieces from most of the major tribal cultures in North America, the Pearsall collection is especially rich in examples of North American Indian art made during the Reservation Period (1890-1920), a time of transition for American Indian cultures.

Chief’s wearing blanket:

The Navajo made this blanket at a time when they were being forced onto reservations and in danger of losing their cultural heritage. The blanket was clearly for someone important since they used their limited resources to make it.

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