Portrait of Navajo Woman by Mary Creamer, Oil on canvas P3499

A sensitive portrait of a Navajo woman, rendered in soft, muted tones against a light, atmospheric ground. The subject is shown in profile, wrapped in a patterned textile, with careful attention given to facial expression and quiet presence. Creamer’s handling of paint is restrained, allowing subtle shifts in color and texture to define form rather than heavy detail. Painted in Taos, New Mexico.

Mary Creamer (1892–1975) was an American painter known for portraiture, figures, still lifes, and landscapes. Active from the 1920s through the mid-20th century, she studied in St. Louis and later at the University of Oklahoma, developing a strong foundation in figurative painting.
She worked across both coasts and in the Southwest, with Taos, New Mexico—long a hub for artists drawn to Indigenous subjects and desert light—playing an important role in her body of work.

Her work often reflects a traditional, observational approach, capturing people and place with a quiet, documentary quality.

Measures 22.25" x 26.25"