Printing the Spirit

In 1927, Gustave Baumann, already celebrated for his colorful and innovative woodcuts, turned his attention to documenting the works of traditional New Mexican santeros (saint makers). In the late 1920s and early 1930s, he partnered with a young New Mexico poet, Peggy Pond Church, and seasoned author Mary Austin, in the hope of publishing a book on the subject. But that book—The Little Saints of New Mexico—was never published. For the first time, Printing the Spirit brings together a selection of Baumann’s faithful pencil renderings of thirty-four bultos and retablos and the proofs he made for the original book. Also included are color reproductions of some of the actual santos, now in museum collections, upon which he modeled his works; images of his original carved woodblocks; essays by Baumann and Austin; poetry by Church; and historic photographs.