This picture features the well known jeweler from the Zuni nation referred to as “Zuni Dick”. His Zuni name was Tsnahey according to the Overland Monthly, and was photographed several times from the early 1900s until this photo was taken, obviously late in his life. There are also colored drawings of this photograph in existence.
The man is using a hand drill to cut small holes in the turquoise beads and stones for threading them onto necklaces and other items. There are records of Zuni Dick dating back to the 1890s, so this photo, likely from the late 1930s or 1940s, shows him at an advanced age.
The caption states: “Zuni Dick” an Indian turquoise worker near Burke Navajo Vocational School, Gallup, N. M. A3204