Search Types
Browse the Entire Database
Choose the Browse button to explore the entire Joe Ben Wheat (JBW) Southwest Textile Database, which includes a selection of historic and ethnographic textiles from the American Southwest. These textiles are housed in about fifty museum collections across the United States. For more about the JBW Southwest Textile Database, see the Introduction and Notes on Content and Format pages.
By default, results are sorted by their Textile ID Number. To see a more restricted listing, use the Keyword, Select, or Advanced searches.
Searching in General
Search terms are not case-sensitive. Previous searches are not retained. Search terms are cleared following each display of results.
To start a new search, use the Home or Advanced Search buttons.
Keyword Searching
Use the Keyword box for simple searches. These searches retrieve matching data for object name, type, style, culture, or design. NOTE: A search for Hopi could return items made by Hopi people, once used by Hopi individuals, or contain commentary such as “Collected at Hopi”; for Hopi-made items only, use the Select Search below.
Notes:
- Partial word matching: Search on shorter word forms for more inclusive results. Entering serrat will retrieve records that include “serrated” and “serrations.” Search for star rather than stars.
- Multiple words: Searching for Navajo or Pueblo will retrieve records with that exact phrase but not those with “Navajo or Zuni Pueblo.”
- Names of people are entered in the database by last name, first name. Searching by last name only is more reliable.
Tip: Begin by searching with fewer, more general terms or partial words. Add terms or be more specific only if your search retrieves too many records.
Keyword Search Example
| Entering this term: | Will retrieve: |
| band | all records that include band, banded, banding and bands |
| classic | all records for the pre-classic, mid classic, classic or late classic periods |
| Diyugi | all records for Diyugi style textiles, whether as Object Name or JBW Type |
| diamond | all records for textiles with a diamond motif |
| twill weave | all records woven in twill weave but not those with twill and tapestry weave |
| twill | catalog no. E-1643, a Navajo blanket owned by ASM, and any other items with the number 1643 is mentioned somewhere. |
Select Searching
Use the field options on the left side of the screen, singly or together, to create a narrower search. Scroll through the drop-down menus to select appropriate terms. The number of records found will appear below the Search box; if no count or Search button appear, results are null.
Note: Searches using multiple fields retrieve only those records that match ALL the entries. To revise or clear a search term, select the circled X.
Select Search Examples
| Making this series of requests: | Will retrieve these records from the database: |
| Object: Blanket, “Slave” | “Slave” blankets (as Wheat categorized them) |
| Object: Blanket, “Slave” Style: Cross | So-called “Slave” blankets with cross motifs in their design |
Style: Wedge Weave Owner: UCM | Wedge weave blankets owned by the University of Colorado and included in the database |
| Style: Border Period: Transitional | Transitional textiles with borders |
| Culture: Navajo Style: Border Period: Transitional | Navajo textiles with borders from the transitional period |
| Object: Blanket, Chief Style: Phase III Period: Classic | Phase III chief blankets from the classic period |
Advanced Searching
You may use the additional fields on the Advanced Search form to perform more specific searches using one or more fields. You can fill in any combination of these search fields but need not use all of them. You can choose from the drop-down menus or enter your own terms (at your own risk!).
Note: Searches using multiple fields retrieve only those records that match ALL the entries.
Advanced Search Examples
| Making this series of requests: | Will retrieve these records from the database: |
| Dyes Tested?: Yes Documented?: Yes | Textiles worthy of dye tests because their associated history is interesting |
| Dyes Tested?: Yes Dye: Lac Spin: S | Textiles with lac-dyed yarn spun in the S direction (then check against those with Z-spun lac-dyed yarns?) |
| Dyes Tested?: Yes Dye: Lac Spin: Z | Textiles with lac-dyed yarn spun in the Z direction |
| Structure: Twill Yarn: Raveled Dye: Cochineal | Twill-woven textiles with raveled yarns believed (or proven by test) to be cochineal-dyed (then narrow this to those with crosses in their designs?) |
| (Yarn) Function: Warp PlyNo.: 3 Color: pale blue | Textiles with 3-ply pale blue warps (then compare with handspun pale blue warps and with other colors?) |
| Late Year: 1850 Culture: Navajo | Navajo textiles made before 1850 (then change to before 1800, or after 1900, or ???) |