Dinnerware from the Santa Fe Super Chief, 1936
Mary Colter (American, 1869 - 1958)
glazed stoneware, 9 in. diameter (22.9 cm) (plate)
Gift of Atcheson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway, 1939. Museum of Indian Arts and Culture/Laboratory of Anthropology
#10753, 10754, 10755
Mary Colter trained at the California School of Design and was hired by the Fred Harvey Company in 1910, moving from interior designer to architect. Working with Native American art forms and artifacts, she helped redesign them into objects and architecture for Harvey’s commercial endeavors. One of the few women architects of her time, she completed twenty-one projects including a series of landmark hotels and commercial lodges throughout the Southwest.