Fred Thompson

Name-card placeholder — hallmark imagery to follow

Overview

Fred Thompson (1921–2002) was a Navajo silversmith with one of the longer documented careers in the corpus — active 1936 to the 1990s, working traditional and multiple styles: jewelry, collar tabs and boxes; cast work, stamp work, heavy pieces, channel and chip inlay, turquoise and coral stone-sets. He made his own stamps.

He was the silversmith for Tobe Turpen's Indian Trading Company beginning in 1936, perhaps also Borrego Pass Trading Post, and operated his own shop in Church Rock, New Mexico. Per the corpus he may have collaborated with Leekya Deyuse. A note on the name: our scan prints it split as 'Fred Thomp son'; the mark FRED THOMPSON fixes the spelling. The Marie, Franklin and Hardy Thompson documented nearby carry no stated relation, so we record none.

The Mark

"Fred Thompson (1921-2002; Navajo). Active 1936-1990s. Traditional, multiple styles. Jewelry; collar tabs; boxes. Cast work; stamp work; heavy pieces; channel inlay; chip inlay; turquoise, coral; stone-sets. Made his own stamps. Silversmith for Tobe Turpen's Indian Trading Company beginning in 1936, and perhaps Borrego Pass Trading Post. He may have collaborated with Leekya Deyuse. He also operated his own shop in Church Rock, NM. Marks: FRED THOMPSON; a tilde mark (may also be marked for Tobe Turpen's Indian Trading Company)"

— Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022), approx. p. ~27632.

The mark as documented in the Hougart corpus: FRED THOMPSON; a tilde mark (may also be marked for Tobe Turpen's Indian Trading Company).

References

• Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Schiffer Publishing, 2022. Entry approx. p. ~27632.

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