Freeman’s Two-Day Native American Art Auctions Achieve $1.3M

Freeman’s two-day Native American Art auctions, presented live in Chicago and online, achieved $1,296,128, demonstrating continued collector demand across the category. The marquee live auction, Native American Art including The Larry Ness Collection of Native American Photography, achieved 94% sold by value, with 89% of lots finding buyers.

Across both sales, Freeman’s presented a broad selection of Native American art and material culture, including historic photography, beadwork, pottery, textiles, and works on paper from across North America. Highlights ranged from important 19th-century textiles and objects to photographs documenting Native peoples, communities, and histories.

The auctions also featured property from a number of distinguished private collections and estates, including the Estate of Colin McCullough, the Bernice Abrams Collection, the Laura Nuckolls Collection, the Collection of Lucy Norton, and the Ronny and Dorris Smithee Collection, among others.Danica Farnand, SVP and Head of Department, Native American Art, commented: “I was so pleased to see a strong core group of collectors in the salesroom. The photography performed particularly well, and bidding remained active throughout the sale and continued into the following day. It was a real testament to the vitality and depth of the market.”

Strong Results Across Native American Art

Among the notable results was a Navajo Late Classic “Claflin” Serape, ca. 1860 (Lot 153), which sold for $217,600. Finely woven in cochineal Saxony, cream, indigo, and turquoise wool, the serape features a balanced composition of stepped diamonds, narrow bands, and crosses. The textile was collected by Eliza Hosmer of Concord, Massachusetts, during travels in New Mexico in 1890 and later acquired in 1932 by Boston businessman, collector, and amateur archaeologist William Claflin, a trustee of Harvard’s Peabody Museum. While much of Claflin’s collection ultimately entered the museum, the serape remained with his family and descended through generations.

A late 19th-century Tlingit Chilkat Blanket (Lot 271) realized $35,200 against a pre-sale estimate of $20,000–30,000. Woven of wool and cedar fiber in yellow, blue, black, and natural cream, the impressive blanket features a complex figural design historically interpreted as either a killer whale or Sea Wolf.

A Haida Carved Totem Pole and Bear Cub (Lot 272), dating to the fourth quarter of the 19th century, far surpassed its $6,000–8,000 estimate to achieve $33,280. Collected by William David Alexander (1866–1942), the work descended through his family.Also notable was a mid-19th-century Pueblo Painted Buffalo Hide Shield (Lot 152), which realized $32,000. Crafted from thick buffalo hide and painted with mineral pigments and indigo, the shield combines buffalo-horn imagery with geometric decoration.

White-Glove Success: The Larry Ness Collection of Native American Photography

The Larry Ness Collection of Native American Photography was 100% sold across the live and online auctions, achieving $173,194 and reaching 159% of its pre-sale low estimate. The results reflected strong collector interest in the collection, which brought together historic photographs of Native peoples and communities across North America and offered a compelling visual record of the individuals, cultures, and histories documented through the camera.

Leading the collection was William R. Cross’s cartes de visite of Sioux and Cheyenne Warriors and Family (Lot 33), which brought $5,440, more than three times its $1,500 pre-sale low estimate. Cross (1839–1907) operated studios in Nebraska during the late 19th century and photographed numerous Native subjects throughout the region.

Another standout was Edric L. Eaton’s Studio Portraits of Pawnee, Sioux, Crow, and Shoshone Men(Lot 26), which achieved $4,160 against a $1,500–2,500 estimate. Eaton also worked as a photographer in Nebraska for more than three decades, documenting local residents, landmarks, and Native subjects.

Additional Auction Highlights

• Lot 154 | Navajo Classic Wearing Blanket, ca 1860 | SOLD FOR $23,040

• Lot 77 | Edward S. Curtis, Maid of Dreams | SOLD FOR $16,640

• Lot 135 | Cheyenne Full-Size Beaded Hide Cradle, fourth quarter 19th century | SOLD FOR $16,640

• Lot 137 | Sioux Beaded Pictorial Hide Vest, with Geronimo Attribution, fourth

quarter 19th century, Laura Nuckolls Collection, Texas | SOLD FOR $16,640

• Lot 176 | Navajo Bisti Roomsize Weaving [Rug], early 20th century | SOLD FOR $16,640

• Lot 101 | Cheyenne Beaded Hide Tobacco Bag, Published, third quarter 19th

century | SOLD FOR $14,080

• Lot 196 | Nampeyo of Hano, Attributed, Polychrome Pottery Jar | SOLD FOR $14,080

• Lot 78 | Edward S. Curtis, Prayer to the Stars | SOLD FOR $12,800

• Lot 195 | Nampeyo of Hano, Attributed, Exceptional Pottery Jar | SOLD FOR $10,880

• Lot 139 | Rain-In-The-Face, untitled, Sundance Scene, Property from the Collection of Lucy Norton, | SOLD FOR $9,600

About Freeman’s

Freeman’s is a premier American auction house offering services in multiple categories including fine art, jewelry, design, books and manuscripts, furniture, decorative arts, antiquities, couture, and Asian works of art. With 15 regional locations nationwide, the firm provides auctions, appraisals, private sales, and art advisory services, connecting clients to the global art market. Freeman’s strives to bring art, history, and design to life by connecting people with extraordinary objects through exceptional service and expertise.