Ambrose Lincoln — Navajo/Diné Silversmith
Ambrose Lincoln (1917–1989) was a Navajo silversmith working in multiple styles: stamp and file work, set stones, some channel inlay, leaf and appliqué. He was an instructor at the Santa Fe Indian School and worked for C. G. Wallace, Kelsey Indian Trading Company, and Three Hogans.
The Mark Mix-Up: Lincoln vs. Roanhorse
Ambrose Lincoln's mark — the letter A inside a keystone or broken arrow point — has been the subject of a documented attribution error. Earlier editions of the Hougart hallmark reference and related literature cited Lincoln and Ambrose Roanhorse as possibly the same person. This confusion was corrected: according to an interview with Roger Skeet Jr., Lincoln and Roanhorse were contemporaries, both known to Skeet and to Skeet's father, and were definitively two different silversmiths.
The T.Skies directory documents Ambrose Roanhorse's own page, where the mix-up is documented from Roanhorse's side. Lincoln's A-in-keystone mark is his own, not a shared or confused hallmark.
The Mark
"The letter A (inside a keystone or broken arrow point)"
— Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022), citing Chalker, 2004 and Hait, 1979.
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- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022. (citing Chalker, 2004; Hait, 1979; interview Roger Skeet Jr.)
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf's 2003 hallmark index describes Ambrose Lincoln's mark differently:
“A with a pottery jar (Ambrose Lincoln)”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 54 [1]
Field Notes by Mateo James
I notice two descriptions of Ambrose Lincoln's mark. Hougart describes the letter A inside a keystone or broken arrow point, while Schaaf's 2003 hallmark index lists an A with a pottery jar. The two may describe the same outline in different words, so I show both.
Sources
- Schaaf, Gregory, with Angie Yan Schaaf. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies, ca. 1800-present. American Indian Art Series, Vol. 5. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and compiled from published references. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.
Name card shown; hallmark photo to come. © Turquoise Skies Inc.