Millicent Rogers Museum

Tinwork 

  
Historically, tinwork as a northern New Mexico craft is relatively new.  Tin objects predating 1840 were most likely imported from Mexico and Spain.  However, after the territory’s annexation from Mexico in 1846, the use of tin became more common.  Moving beyond the limited use of ornamentation within the church, mid-nineteenth century records describe walls of homes covered with tin-framed mirrors and tin wall sconces.

Modernization near the turn of the century nearly ended the life and practice of the tinsmith.  Candle-lit tin sconces gave way to gas and coal oil lighting fixtures.  Commercially produced picture frames put to rest tools and the hands that had previously crafted one-of-a-kind frames. 

 As with many traditional crafts of northern New Mexico, modern day tin workers continue to bring aesthetic to the craft while expanding the boundaries of a previously strictly utilitarian art form.

In complement with other Hispanic domestic arts and crafts, the Millicent Rogers Museum’s collection of tin work in seen in both household and religious adornments throughout the galleries dedicated to this genre.