Dooley Shorty — Navajo/Diné Silversmith Hallmark
Navajo/Diné · documented in the T.Skies hallmark library
Dooley Shorty (1911–2000; Navajo) was a silversmith instructor in Albuquerque and at the Indian School at Fort Wingate in the late 1930s. He helped Ambrose Roanhorse implement the IACB (Indian Arts and Crafts Board) stamping program in 1938, and was one of the silversmiths demonstrating their work at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition.
Shorty became a Code Talker in World War II and was one of the original instructors teaching codes to fellow Navajo Code Talkers. For some thirty years he taught silver smithing and leather work at the Intermountain Indian School in Brigham City, Utah.
The Hougart record also notes that in 1940 Kenneth Chapman reportedly sent stamps to Ambrose Roanhorse and Dooley Shorty for use in the IACB stamping program. At d'Harnoncourt's urging, Chapman, Roanhorse, Dooley Shorty, and others demonstrated silversmithing. The broader Hougart narrative places Shorty firmly in the Guild-formation and IACB institutional context of the late 1930s and early 1940s.
The mark
The Hougart record does not document a specific personal mark for Dooley Shorty in our available reference books. His mark is recorded as "?" in the Hougart entry.
References
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
- Adair, John. The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths. University of Oklahoma Press, 1944. (Cited in Hougart 5e, footnote 25.)
- McClerran, 2009 (cited in Hougart 5e, footnote 26).
- Levy, 1980 (cited in Hougart 5e).
- Adair, John. The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths. The Civilization of the American Indian Series. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1944. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1944.
- Baxter, Paula A., with Allison Bird-Romero. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry: A Guide to History, People, and Terms. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 2000. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2000.
- 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.
Know more about this artist? Contact T.Skies. See also: Ambrose Roanhorse (colleague in IACB stamping program).
From the Library: Adair, The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths (1944)
1944 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1944, not today.
Adair (1944) recorded who mounted Tom Burnsides' ketoh on leather in 1938:
“This I had done by Dooley Shorty, the Navajo teacher of silversmithing at the government Indian school at Fort Wingate.”
— Adair (1944), p. 67 [1]
From the Library: Baxter, Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry (2000)
2000 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2000, not today.
Describing the 1941 Indian Arts of the United States exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, Baxter (2000) wrote:
“Also demonstrating silversmithing at separate times during the exhibition were Dooley Shorty (sometimes written as Shorty Dooley) and Tom Katenay.”
— Baxter (2000), p. 116 [2]
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003, p. 141), entering him as Shorty Dooley, recorded him as a Navajo smith active from before 1941 and listed his associations as Tom Katenay, Ambrose Roanhorse, Tom Burnsides and Vidal Aragon, with demonstrations at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1941. [3]
Schaaf (2003) entered him as
“Dooley Shorty (1940, received stamp, U.S. Navajo)”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 287 [3]
Schaaf (2003) wrote:
“In 1940, museum director Kenneth Chapman sent to Shorty a stamp that read”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 287 [3]
Schaaf (2003) continued:
“Chapman encouraged Shorty and his students to stamp their work”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 287 [3]
Schaaf (2003) added:
“In the 1930s and 1940s, he taught jewelry making classes at Fort Wingate School”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 287 [3]
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.