This Acoma pitcher was collected by Col. James Stevenson and his wife Matilda Coxe Stevenson in 1884. Stevenson archives reveal that its accession number assigned by the BAE (part of the Smithsonian) is 110354. The Smithsonian frequently traded or gifted pieces from their collection to supporters of the museum and it is likely that this is how this pot came to be in private hands.
The railroads arrived in the West in 1880. Representatives of museums, usually anthropologists, were able to purchase large quantities of pottery from the Pueblos and transport them back home. Luckily, Stevenson kept very detailed records which allow the study of pottery development in the Pueblos.
To learn more about this particular pot, please go to: http://www.marcyburns.com/pottery-collection/acoma-polychrome-pitcher-collected-by-stevenson